Refresh Button
by Pelkasauras -Cherry3456
Summary: All Chelsea wants is to hit the Refresh Button on her life. When Sean, her butler, shows her an ad for Sunshine Islands, everything begins to change. Will Chelsea get the new life she's dreamed of, or will threats from her past take it away? *ON HIATUS!*
1. Prologue

**Okay, I'm sorry if it's terrible…Who knows how well it will turn out! Anyway, this is my first story! I'm so excited for you all to read it. Please, tell me if there's something I need to fix. I'm so stupid I forgot to add this author's note the first time. Oops. Ha ha ha! Well, enjoy! Oh yeah! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harvest Moon, its characters, settings, etc. I do love it though. **

**Prologue**

Chelsea's Pov-

It was a dark, stormy night. Well, not just any night, but the night I hit a "Refresh Button," hopefully.

I was trying, very, very hard, to sleep well, just for once. But it was difficult to let unconsciousness claim me. Who knows why? I would just toss and turn, toss and turn.  
I heard a moan from the room next to me. My mother's room. She was sick, again, and I knew it. But this time, it wasn't from drinking too much wine. She was sick of the _stress_. And I was, also. I just couldn't take it anymore! My brother was _dying_, for crying out loud, and Father wasn't doing anything about it!

When I heard a knock on my door, I jumped. I then quickly tried to relax myself, and make my breathing easy. Maybe the person was just that. A person. Not a mass murderer coming to kill me, or my cruel father, coming to hurt me.

I heard the door open, and tried my fake sleep act. My eyes were still closed, and I tried very hard not to shake as I breathed.

And then, I heard the voice. "You are a terrible actor, miss," Sean said. I breathed a sigh of relief, sat up, and faced him. "Sean," I murmured. "It's just you." "Yes, miss, it is just me," Sean said, laughing. "But you must call me Mr. Smith, or Butler, which is even better." "Oh, Sean," I replied. "You will never be a butler to me. Always a friend."

If you didn't figure it out already, Sean is my butler. That's right, my mother and father are rich. Well, actually, my whole _family_ is rich. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, second cousins twice removed that I don't even know...The list doesn't stop.

But I've always worked hard. Just because I could have everything I want without lifting a finger, I still work. I sweat buckets everyday, helping the maids, the butlers, and my mother approves, because that is how it would be if **he** hadn't died.

"So, Sean," I said. "What favor can I do for you on this terrible, stormy night?" I giggled. "I wish to inform you of your mother's state. She is getting better," Sean explained. "That's good," I replied, and then sighed. "Sean? Can I confess something to you, if you promise not to tell?" "Yes, of course, miss," Sean said. "I want to leave," I blurt. "Badly. I want to have a normal life, without all the riches, the stress, and the isolation. I want to have friends, to get a refresh, or even an undo button! But I don't want to hurt mother. I'm nineteen, twenty in a month, for crying out loud. I _should_ leave." I just realized that last part.

Sean stared at me, and then slowly, very slowly, without breaking his gaze, pulled an envelope out of his coat pocket. He handed it to me, and said, "Your mother wrote this two years ago, when she was well. She knew this moment was coming, but if she wasn't there, she knew I would be. And so your mother wanted me to give you this when I felt the time was right."

Carefully, I opened the envelope. Inside was a note, and three thousand dollars. The note said:

**My dearest Chelsea,**

** If you are reading this, that means I am unwell. Just know that I love you, very, very much****. ****Please, take this money, and find a place to live, build a life, have friends. Get away from here. I know you hate it here just as much as I do. Board the soonest boat to a place called Sunshine Islands. It sounds like a nice place to live. Write butler at his home address when you get there, just in case. I'll love you always.**

**Your mother**

A lone tear dripped down my face. But then, I realized something wonderful. "Sean," I said. "This is my chance! I can leave!" Sean frowned, looking hurt, and I quickly added, "I'll miss you." Sean replied, "And I will miss you. But you must leave soon. Your mother is having a good night, her head is clear. I will tell her that you have decided to go. Please, don't forget to write us." "O-Of course!" I told Sean, my voice almost cracked with the pain of leaving him. He was my best friend. "Come on, let's get you packed."

And **that** is how it all started.

• • •

**So, what do you think? Please review! And also, there WILL be a little VaughnXChelsea going on, but that's not the whole story…Sorry. If you want more or less of it, tell me. Thanks! Also, I know the Prologue is short. Aren't they usually always? Well, mine are. Deal. The chapters will be longer.  
**


	2. Chapter 1: Stupid Cowboy

**Hey everyone! Hope you like the story so far. Just to let you know, there **_**will**_** be a little VaughnXChelsea going on, but that's not the whole story. Oh, and sorry if my characters are OOC, especially Natalie. I love her character, but I'm bad at portraying it. This is my first fanfic, so if anything is wrong, tell me! Thanks! Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Stupid Cowboy**

So here I am now...On a boat, at seven thirty in the morning, no idea where I'm going, and who I'm about to meet. I have a suitcase with me, packed with a week's worth of clothing and the necessities.

The boat is very small, with only a few other people on it. I'm standing by the railing, the only thing between me and the ocean. I shuddered. I remember the swimming lesson Sean tried to give me when I was seven. That was thirteen years ago.

_ "Okay, Chelsea, try to swim from the deep end to the shallow end," Sean said. I tried. I really did. I pumped my arms and legs, and was swimming for a while. But then I started sinking, and so I thrashed around, panicking, until Sean came and got me. I was close to drowning. I never wanted to swim again._

I thought the ocean was beautiful, but terrifying at the same time. The spray felt nice though, after all the hot, dry days in the city. The captain was standing next to me, steering the little boat with an old fashioned wheel.

"So, what's your name?" He asked me. I snapped out of daydreaming, and answered, "Chelsea." "Hello, then, Chelsea," He replied. "Are you going to Sunshine Islands?" I nodded. "They are beautiful. All the people are great, too. There aren't many, but it's nice for a person who likes to live like everyone is family." I wondered what he meant by that. 'Family?' How could neighbors be like family? "The only thing they need to get more people to live there is a rancher," The captain said, interrupting my thoughts. "Maybe that would help their financial problems." "A rancher, huh?" I asked, a light bulb going off in my head. "Yup," He replied, emphasizing the _p_.

I had read a few books about farming. And taking care of animals couldn't be _that_ hard, could it? Also, I had a garden back home...Maybe this whole ranching thing could work.

Suddenly, the captain said, "Well, here we are! Thanks for riding. It's about eight o'clock now, if you were wondering." "Thanks," I replied gratefully.

Heaving my suitcase onto the dock, I took in my surroundings: I was on a beach, there was a house- It looked like more of a shack to me- at the far end of it, and there was a little town with a few houses and shops in it. The island was pretty small, but I liked it. I looked at the sign next to me, and it said, "Sprout Island." There was a map below, and next to this island there was apparently another one, with landmarks that said: Animal shop, General store, Taro's house, and Diner.

I wondered who Taro was. Maybe he was someone important that I could talk to? I decided to visit his house first. Hopefully, something good would come out of this place.

I was standing in front of a good-sized house, which had a red roof. Slowly, I raised my fist up to knock on the door. **TAP, TAP, TAP.**

Someone inside said, "Coming!" A pretty lady with pinkish hair opened the door. She gasped, and said, "Oh, hello! You must be Chelsea!" I stared with wide eyes at her. "H-How do you know my- "Name?" The lady interrupted. "Well, someone called for you...Oh, what was his name. I think it was…Sean?" I sighed, and smiled. Of course Sean would call. He cares too much to let me wander on my own.

"Yes, he must have called," I said, verifying her question. "And yes, I am Chelsea. It's nice to meet you." We shook hands "Well, it's nice to meet you also, Chelsea. My name is Felicia. Welcome to Sunshine Islands!" Felicia said merrily. I smiled, absorbing her cheerful mood. "Thanks. Uh, someone told me about a ranch here that needs to be taken care of," I started; trying to hint to her I wanted to look at it. I didn't quite know how to bring it up. "Oh, yes!" Felicia exclaimed. "The ranch! Are you interested in taking care of it?" "Well, I would probably need someone to help me start, and I'd like to look around first before I make my decision," I explained. "That's fine," Felicia said. "My father, Taro, has been looking a few months for someone to take care of the ranch. Please, do come in and meet him!"

She walked inside, and I followed. The home was pretty basic, but it was very _clean_. My type of home. I didn't like huge, expensive things, even though I was rich. It was like I was born into the wrong life.

"Father!" Felicia called out. An old man with a cane walked out from one of the rooms. I guessed it was a bedroom. "Yes?" His voice sounded sort of broken and old. "This is Chelsea," Felicia started. She explained how I was considering taking over the ranch, but wanted to be shown around first. Taro walked over to me, and said, "Well, she'll have to pass the test first." "Test?" Felicia and I exclaimed, simultaneously. "Yes, test," Taro stated.

He began to walk around me, poking my back with his cane sometimes, examining me with piercing little eyes. I never flinched though. Finally, he said, "Nope. She can't do it."

"_**WHAT?**_" I exploded. "What are you talking about? Of course I can do it! I'll have that ranch in good shape as fast as anyone else could! Even though I'm a girl, I can still do it! And _you_ can't stop me! I'm **not** going to fail!"

And then, instead of throwing me out of his house, Taro did the strangest thing: He started to chuckle. It was a dry, raspy chuckle, but he was definitely laughing. He then said, still laughing, "Oh, Felicia, I like this one, I do, I really do! You've got the job, kid! You passed!" I stared at him with wide eyes, and all I could manage to say was, "W-What?" "You're determined. I like it. You'll do a good job with that ranch, if you choose to take the job," Taro explained, still chuckling. I smiled, guessing it had all been a trick to see if I was ready for a challenge, and, of course I was. "Thanks!" I cried.

"Now, hm, let's see..." Taro said thoughtfully. Then, he yelled, "**NATALIE!**" I saw a girl, probably my age, with the same pinkish hair as Felicia, run down a staircase I hadn't noticed before. "What is it Grandpa?" She whined. "I was just trying to pull a prank on Elliot." "And it didn't work!" I heard a boy yell from upstairs. The girl chuckled. Then she noticed me. "Oh, hey! You don't look familiar!" She said. Felicia, once again, explained my story to the girl, who I assumed was Natalie, and Taro said, "Natalie, I'd like you to give a tour to Chelsea." "Alright! A new resident! I've gotta tell Julia!" Natalie exclaimed.

Before I could blink, she was at my side, talking while guiding me to the door. "Hello, I'm Natalie. I'll give you a tour of the islands! You've met Taro, Felicia, you probably heard Elliot and I arguing. But there's still a bunch of people you've got to meet! I'll take you to Julia's house first! Maybe she will come on the tour with us!" I just blinked, and said, "Okay. The islands here look really peaceful." "Mmhmm," Natalie murmured, sighing. "They are. I love it."

Suddenly, I realized we were coming up towards a neat looking building with a sign at the top that said, "Animal Shop." As Natalie walked up to it and opened the door, I followed. Once inside, I saw a good-sized woman with pretty blond hair. Across the counter from her was a girl, probably my age (How many people my age _are_ there here?), with the same color hair, only it was slightly wavy. "Julia!" Natalie said. "This is Chelsea! She's going to start working on the ranch!" "Maybe," I threw in. Julia beamed and said, "Hey, that's great! A rancher is just what this place needs!" "Maybe," I said again. Natalie smiled smugly, and then laughed at my responses. "Anyway," She said. "Chelsea, this is Julia and Mirabelle. They run this animal shop." Mirabelle waved, and said, "It's nice to meet you, dear." Julia just kept beaming.

"Hey," Natalie said, suddenly curious. I could almost _see_ the light bulb go off in her head, and the gears start turning. "Is Vaughn around? Chelsea ought to meet him, too." "Yeah, he's in the back," Julia replied. Then she looked at me, and said, "Just to let you know, he's very anti-social. Don't take it personally." "Don't worry," I said. "The most anti-social person I've known is my father, and no one trumps him." I almost spit out the word "father," but controlled my anger. These people had done no harm, right?

Natalie lead me to the back, which was like a living room and kitchen combined. I saw a man, once again, probably my age, with jaw length silver hair, and I might be mistaken, but his eyes were _violet. _I would bet my best outfit on it, though. He was dressed sort of like a cowboy, hat and all. He was eating a bowl of porridge and some milk. To my embarrassment, my stomach growled, remembering it was breakfast. My face turned scarlet, so I looked at my toes.

Suddenly, Natalie cleared her throat, and the guy; I think Natalie said his name was Vaughn or something, looked up. "What do you want?" He asked, or, more like grumbled. "Oh, come on Vaughn, we're friends, right?" Natalie said sarcastically, snickering. "You could be a little less grumpy for the new rancher." "Maybe," I said, sighing and becoming exasperated about Natalie's expectations. Vaughn looked up at me, and I waved. I was right. His eyes _were_ violet. "Humph," He said. "A _girl_ for a rancher? Couldn't that old bag Taro have done a little better than finding a girl?" I about exploded in his face right there, and anger bubbled inside of me. "To let you know," I said hotly. "I'm not a _girl._ I'm nineteen, twenty in a month. And I have a name. It's Chelsea." Vaughn didn't reply, he just smiled smugly. Actually, it wasn't a smile. It was a smug _grimace_. I didn't even think that was possible, but there it was, right before my eyes. A smug grimace.

Finally, after a few awkward, silent moments, Natalie took my hand and led me out of the room. Before she left, I heard her yell, "Bye, _Vaughny_." **"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"** I heard him yell. "Lanna is bad enough." Natalie snickered. "Serves you right," She muttered.

Julia gave me a sympathetic smile, and I shrugged. "I told you, don't take it personally. He's like that to everyone," She said. "Stupid cowboy," Natalie growled. I smiled, and then giggled a little. I had a feeling Natalie and Julia were going to be great friends for me. _If _I stayed.

But **maybe** I will.

**Maybe.**


	3. Chapter 2: A New Home

**Hello fellow writers! Thanks for taking the time to read chapter two. A short note: Yes, I know in the game, there is no bathroom to start, but I had to tweak it a little. It just doesn't seem realistic to me. Ha ha ha. But I let the overly large rucksack pass. You'll read about that later. Anyway, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 2: A New Home**

I had now met probably all the people on the islands…Chen, Charlie, Pierre (Natalie seems to have a soft spot for him), Kirk, Denny (Whose optimism and smile I really liked), Lanna, Gannon, Eliza (The cutest, but most self-absorbed kid I've ever met), Regis, Sabrina (Who I could picture being another friend, but Regis is like a vampire), and all the fishermen.

Julia had joined Natalie and I on the tour, and after a little bit they had treated me to breakfast at the café. I thanked them, even though I had plenty of money. Who knew what I would need it for later? The breakfast was delicious, and I was starting to like it here, despite that Vaughn guy and his rude remarks. And, of course, the fact that Regis reminded me of a vampire.

Now, we were finally going to visit the Ranch Island. Natalie, Julia, and I had gotten to know each other pretty well, and quickly became friends. Julia's cheerful mood and Natalie's…"determination" balanced out perfectly. And then there was me. I was the talkative, bouncy one when you got to know me, but at first I was pretty shy…except when people made me explode in their faces. But, technically, that isn't my fault, is it? Fine, think what you like. Whatever.

Another reason I liked it here was that my sad excuse for a father wasn't here. But the reason I didn't like it was my mother, my brother, and, of course, Sean, weren't here. But I could always write to them, right?

Halfway across the bridge to Ranch Island, while Natalie and Julia were "arguing" (It was more like a playful debate to me), I weighed my pros and cons of staying here. First of all, I got the place for free. Crazy, right? Second, I had two new friends (I hope they think of me as a friend, also) that I could lean on a little. And, third, it was almost perfect here. There was a ranch waiting to be taken care of, which was a great job, and I remember Regis had said something about other islands needing to be raised, specifically Volcano Island, and maybe I could figure out how to raise them.

The cons were that my mother, brother, and Sean aren't here, as I said before. And, of course, that stupid Vaughn guy. He may not end up being a friend, but, hey, these islands can't be perfect, right? And Julia said he was only here twice a week. It was hard to believe Julia was Vaughn's cousin…they were so different.

Anyway, I think my decision really relied on the ranch, and if I liked it or not. But, I might end up staying here.

**Maybe.**

Maybe, I would get to press that refresh button. Well, not completely, but almost.

Suddenly, I heard Julia say, "Look, Chelsea, here we are!" I snapped out of day dreaming, and took a good look at the place. The house was very small looking, but as I said before, small houses are good. There was a giant rectangular field, with sticks and stones to clear, and I guessed that was where I would plant crops. At the end of the field, I saw a building. _Probably a stable, _I thought. Next to my house was a supply shed. I think that I'm going to love this.

"Wow," I said, breathlessly. "I love it!" "_Really?_" Natalie and Julia said at the same time. I nodded. "So you'll stay?" Natalie asked. I thought carefully for a moment, but then decided, what was there to think about? It was almost perfect. The refresh button I had dreamed of.

"I think," I said hesitantly. I didn't like big decisions. "I'll stay." **"Yay!"**Natalie and Julia said at the same time, and I giggled. "Great!" Natalie said. "We've gotta go tell Taro! He will be very excited, we've been looking about a year for someone to take over this old ranch. You'll help these islands so much!" I smiled, and then cheerfully bounced, a new sort of energy running through me. _What was it? _I wondered. Adrenaline? No, adrenaline was for fear. This was joy, excited joy. "Well, come on then!" I cried. "Let's go tell him! I want to get started as soon as possible!" Natalie and Julia looked a little shocked by my new outgoingness, but then they smiled, and we all ran off towards Taro's house.

Natalie, Julia, and I barged into Taro's house, and Felicia, Elliot, and Taro all looked up from what they were doing. "Julia, it's great to see you," Felicia said. "How is Mirabelle?" "Great," Julia replied. "And we've all got great news." "Yes?" Taro asked. "And what is that?" "Chelsea's staying!" Natalie burst. "Is it true? Would you like to stay, Chelsea?" Taro asked, his old voice sounding excited. I smiled and nodded vigorously. "Definitely," I replied. "That's wonderful!" Felicia exclaimed. Elliot smiled, and Taro clapped his hands together. "Well, I'll show you the basics right away!" He said. Probably as fast as an old person could go, he grabbed my hand and we rushed out of the house.

"So," Taro said. "Have you ever grown crops before?" "Well, I had a garden at home," I replied. "Does that count?" "I suppose," Taro chuckled. "Ever taken care of animals?" I shook my head. "That's okay. It's not too hard. Plus, you don't have a chicken coop or barn yet, so you don't have to worry about animals." I nodded, and smiled. I was so excited to start my new life here.

We were now coming up to the ranch, wait, no, _my_ ranch. I grinned ear to ear at the thought. I wondered what the inside of the house looked like. Hopefully it at least had a bed, and a chair, maybe. But I didn't expect too much of it.

Taro and I stopped at the edge of the field. "Well, I suppose I'll give you this…" Taro said, and he gave me a heavy rucksack. Where the heck was he hiding that? His pockets must be **HUGE. **"Inside the rucksack are some turnip seeds, a hoe, watering can, sickle, and some green herbs for you when you're hungry. Now, let's get started with teaching you to plant crops!"

For a moment, I was mystified. How did all that stuff fit in this little rucksack? Oh joy; I have a magical little backpack like the ones in video games! **AWESOME!** It reminded me of that one game I played as a kid, what was it called? Marvest Hoon? Nah. Whatever.

Taro began to explain to me the basics of planting, and in no time, I had a large patch of turnips planted. I took some of the green herbs out of my rucksack and ate them, needing the extra energy and realizing how hungry I was. Looking at my watch, it said 12:30. **WOW!** It was that late already? Huh, time sure does fly when you're hard at work, planting crops.

When I was done, Taro said, "Oh yes. You'll find some more of those herbs out on the islands. They aren't the finest food, but they do restore your energy a little. Eat plenty." "Taro," I asked. "How do you know all this?" "Well, I was a rancher back in the day!" Taro said, standing a little taller, his face held up high. I laughed at his expression, and then I realized something: I haven't laughed, really, truly laughed, in so long. I love these islands already!

Finally, Taro said, "Well, Chelsea, I hope you enjoy your first few days here. And maybe you'll love the rest, too. These islands used to be so much greater…hopefully your ranch will set it back to normal again." A depressed sigh escaped Taro's lips, and I felt sorry for him. He was trying so hard to get everything better, it made me _want_ to try harder. "I'll try my best," I told him. After that, Taro left, and I watched him until he disappeared onto Verdure Island.

Suddenly, I began to grin, from ear to ear, and I giggled. And then, I screamed, I screamed a joyful, happy noise. "WHOO HOO!" Free at last! I couldn't wait to get started here…I'll have friends, and plenty of crops to look after, maybe even a few animals to comfort when they were down. Who knew what might happen. Maybe I'd even-

NO. I didn't want to think about falling in love. It was too soon, too much. Although Denny seemed like the nicest guy on the islands, Lanna seemed to like him. And I don't know who else appealed to me. So, I pushed that thought away. I had to remember how when my mother got married the second time, it ruined everything.

Suddenly feeling a little down, I walked slowly over to my house, and took a deep breath before opening the door.

The inside was small, and there was a bed in the corner, with a little table in the middle of the room. There was also a door in the corner, which I'm assuming led to the bathroom, and a cabinet that I guessed I could put my clothes in. I saw my suitcase next to the door, realizing that I must have left it at Taro's house, and Felicia brought it here. I loved the house. It was small and comfy.

My muscles were beginning to ache, but I knew it was only 12:30, so I stretched them all out a little and walked back outside, deciding to unpack later.

The sun was shining brightly, and I breathed in the fresh, country air. I decided to stop by the General Store and pick up a few things, like some paper and a pencil to write home. I know why mom wants me to write to Sean, not our home. It's because of dad. If he figures out where I am, I'm dead meat.

Walking, well, more like skipping, across the bridge to Verdure Island, I saw Natalie in the distance. I broke into a run, hoping to talk to my new friend.

Finally, I caught up. Glancing my way, Natalie smiled when she saw me. "Hey, Chelsea," She said. "How did the 'lessons' with Taro go?" "Pretty well," I replied, matching my stride to hers. "Where are you going?" "General Store," She stated. "And then the Animal Shop. Mom wants me to take a special package to Mirabelle." She gestured to a package I hadn't noticed her holding before. "I'm going to the General Store to grab some groceries for mom, too." "I'm going to the General Store to get some paper and a pencil," I said. "And maybe some more seeds." "Oh, that's cool! We can go together!" Natalie cried cheerfully. I smiled back, and nodded.

We finally made it to the General Store, talking a little about news on the islands. I wanted to be sure I had all of my gossip straight. "So, what's up with you and Pierre?" I asked. "H-Huh?" Natalie said, stuttering. "Nothing." "_Sure,_" I said, and pushed her a little more. "You mean the curry you gave him this morning was just a random act of kindness? _Nothing_ more?" Finally, she caved in. "Okay, fine, I like Pierre. _A little. _Well, more than a little…Okay, A LOT!" She said quietly, embarrassed. "He's just so…kind, and cute, sweet, a good cook, and not to mention hilarious. He was also my best friend from the start." I smiled at Natalie, and as we entered the General Store, I promised not to tell anyone.

Natalie and I walked up to the counter, and Chen said, "Hello again, ladies. What can I get you today?" "I need some bread, chocolate, and cooking oil." Natalie stated. "And I'll take a pen and some paper, and how about a bag of potato seeds?" I told Chen. "Just a moment," He replied, going to the back of the store to grab out items.

"So what about Lanna?" I asked. "Does she like Denny?" Natalie nodded. "I think so. Which is funny, because one of the only things they have in common is they both like to fish. I guess their personalities just click." I simply nodded at her reply, because Chen was coming back with our stuff. He handed Natalie a bag with her stuff, but I just put the stuff in my "magical" rucksack. "Chelsea, that will be two hundred twenty gold, Natalie, that will be two hundred." We both gave him our money, and left the shop, saying "Thanks!" Before leaving.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and I gave a cheerful little bounce. Natalie smiled, becoming cheerful also. "I love these islands," I said. "They are so beautiful." Natalie merely nodded. "Do you want to come see Mirabelle and Julia with me?" She asked. I nodded. "I'd like to see them." I said. _And Vaughn_. A tiny voice inside me said. **What? That stupid cowboy? No way. **

Natalie and I reached the Animal Shop, and stepped inside. "Hello, Natalie, Chelsea! What a surprise!" Natalie giggled. "Mirabelle, it's only been about two or three hours." She said. "I know," Mirabelle replied, laughing. "I say that to almost everyone." Julia was sitting on one of the chairs across from her mother, and when she saw me and Natalie, she rushed over and said, "Hey guys! How are you doing, Chelsea?" "Fine," I replied. "Taro gave me some good lessons." "Great," Mirabelle and Julia stated at the same time. Natalie walked over to Mirabelle to deliver her package, while Julia and I chatted a little.

After a small talk with Mirabelle, Natalie walked over and joined in the conversation. "Girls," Mirabelle said after a few minutes, breaking in. All three of us were giggling like crazy, because Natalie had cracked a joke about Regis and his "vampire qualities." "Yeah?" We all asked at once. "Maybe Chelsea and Natalie should stay for lunch, and you can continue your chat in the kitchen." "Are you sure?" I asked; after all, Julia and Natalie had treated me to breakfast this morning. "Yes, of course," Mirabelle replied. "I always make too much, anyway." I smiled at her and nodded, and Natalie replied, "Thanks!"

We all walked into the kitchen, still giggling. That Stupid Cowboy, ahem, _Vaughn_ was sitting in their drinking some milk. "Hi, _Vaughny,_" Natalie mocked. "What are you doing, _Vaughny?_" Julia looked at Natalie, and mouthed the words, "bad mood," shaking her head, eyes wide. But it was too late. "**NATALIE! **You had better quit calling me that, or I'll make you!" He stood up, and grabbed some duck tape that was "coincidentally" sitting on the counter. Natalie's eyes widened, and she mocked, "Oh, I'm _so_ scared." I had a bad feeling about this. Maybe Vaughn _was_ a Stupid Cowboy, but he is a person, nonetheless, who has feelings.

Vaughn practically ran over to Natalie with the duct tape, with an evil looking expression on his face. "Okay, okay! Gosh, I'm just teasing, Vaughn, lighten up!" Natalie said, scowling. Vaughn backed up, and said, "Good." Then, he went to another room, probably a guest room. Natalie scowled, Julia frowned, and I was on the verge of laughing like crazy, but I decided to hold it in.

Eventually, we all sat down at the table, and continued what we had been talking about before.

**Vaughn's POV-**

I slammed my door. Hard. Stupid Natalie, and her little friends Julia and Chelsea. It's not my fault Lanna had to give me a dumb nickname. And I _hated_ it. It's what _she_ used to call me.

This morning, that idiotic girl, Chelsea, came and introduced herself. I was thinking, _A girl? As a rancher?_ And apparently, my big mouth just _had_ to spit that out, and she got angry with me. Sometimes, I don't even try to be mean, it just...happens.

It's her fault I'm in a bad mood, anyways. She didn't have to come waltzing in and say hello. I'm perfectly fine with not meeting every new villager, especially the girl ones. _Especially _the happy, perky ones with just a hint of a British accent, sapphire eyes, and soft, shiny chestnut colored hair- WAIT! What am I thinking? Chelsea is not pretty at all. Her eyes are dull and her hair is messy.

Apparently, Chelsea is staying, which is even worse. I could do without another cheerful person on these dumb islands. Julia's peppy mood is enough. She never calms down! At least the economy will get a little bit better now that Chelsea is here. It had better, or she won't have any purpose here.

I considered going back to the kitchen and saying sorry to Natalie, but I really needed some time to cool down first. So maybe I'll just stay in here for a while...

**Chelsea's POV-**

It was the next morning. I was sitting on my bed, still trying to wake up. It was already six, and I had a fair amount of work to do. Gannon had come by about five minutes earlier to give me an axe and a hammer, which I really need for upgrading my house, getting a barn, a chicken coop, all that stuff, so I'm quite happy.

Yesterday, I had also planted the potato seeds, so I think I'm off to a pretty good start. After planting, I had written a letter to Sean, telling him I had made it here okay, all about my new friends, and, of course, the ranch. I had to write to Sean at his home because if my father figured out where I had gone, I'd be dead meat. Literally.

I hope he replies soon, after all, it shouldn't take that long to arrive, the city is only about an hour or two away. Funny how my Father will try to hunt me down, while I'm really only two hours away from his doorstep. Weird. This thought made me have a flash back.

"_Don't worry, Chelsea," My mother had said. "Sean will take care of you." _

_My mother was leaving for a special two-day business trip, and mom thought I would miss her too much? That wasn't even half of my problem. The whole was my Father. So I began to fess up about what he had done to my brother Ash and I. "Mom, Brian-"Honey, you have to call him Father, or dad. And I have to go sweetie! Don't worry, I'm only going to be an hour or two away from our doorstep." This was about half a year ago, when Mom didn't know that Brian, my "Father," was a terrible, cruel man. "O-Okay mom." _

_ Ash and I slept in the same room for those two days, and Sean would stay with us through the night, just in case. Because we were always afraid of what Father would do to us when Mother wasn't home._

_ If Ash and I didn't do as we were told, he would hit us. _Hard._ And if we did it again, he would lock us in our room with no food for a day. Finally, mother came home, but I helped Ash cover up the scratches and bruises with makeup. I knew that if she saw us like that, she would think we faked it or something. _

_ Now, Mother knows what Father does to us. Sean told her, when I was afraid to. She hardly ever leaves us alone when Father is home, but she gets sick a lot. I think it's because of being so cooped up all the time. _

I stopped thinking about it. Everything was too painful to think about. If only my _real_ dad hadn't died. The one I loved. But I didn't want to think about that right now. I'm ready to get my new life started.

**So, what do you guys think? There is much more to Chelsea's family. Sorry for my small lack of update, I'm on a mini-vacation and had to send my files here on the computer through email, bad internet connection, blah blah blah. I had a great dream last night that helped me plan the plot for later in the story, and let me tell you, everyone will love it! A little more VaughnXChelsea, too, because we **_**all**_** love that. ;) **


	4. Chapter 3: Mysterious voices

**Okay, I know the whole "mysterious voice" thing doesn't happen until way later in the game, but I'm putting it in early. Also, the Harvest Sprite Island thing will be very brief, because we all probably know what happens. It all helps the plot move along a little more, okay? Ha ha ha. Thanks for understanding. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 3: Mysterious voices and New Neighbors**

**Chelsea's POV-**

I was standing outside after watering my crops. I had also cleared off the few weeds, stones, and branches in my field. Wiping the sweat off of my forehead, I sighed. This whole ranching thing was going to take a long time to get used to.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar, old, creaky voice shout behind me, "**CHELSEA! Chelsea!"** I turned around to face Taro, who was hobbling over to me. "There's a voice calling everyone to the meadow. Come quickly!" I wondered what it could be. Maybe the Harvest Goddess? I had heard stories about her when I was little. She sounds amazing.

Taro practically dragged me to the Meadow. A ton of people were standing there, some mumbling in little groups. I could see Mirabelle, Chen, Gannon, Taro, Felicia, Julia, Natalie, and some other people. I quickly rushed up to Julia and Natalie.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Don't you hear it?" Natalie asked. "What?" "Listen," Julia whispered. I listened closely, and heard, _you must raise the islands. _"Oh yeah, I can hear"- "Help," Natalie interrupted. I stared curiously at her, and Julia nodded. Why was I hearing the voice say something different?

While Natalie and Julia were in a deep conversation about what it was, I sneaked off to the shrine. Once again, I heard, _You must raise the islands,_ only louder this time. "Who are you?" I whispered, touching the shrine. Suddenly, a bright glow appeared at my feet, and a weird little elf thing with green hair and a red outfit now stood there. "Hi, Chelsea!" He said. I almost jumped back in surprise. Could it be...? "I'm a Harvest Sprite, named Agete! We have called everyone today, to find the rancher. It must be you, as I can only be summoned when the rancher touches the shrine." My eyes widened, but I knew I wasn't mad. There were stories about Harvest Sprites, and many people thought they were real. I was one of those people.

"How do I raise the islands?" I asked, referring to his request. "Well, you have to collect these things called sun stones. Then, I can use their powers to raise the islands." "Where do I"- "CHELSEA!" Taro's voice boomed. "What are you looking at? And who are you talking to?" "Uh," I said, and wondered why he couldn't see the Harvest Sprite. "Oh, yes, Chelsea," Agete said. "You're the only one who can see us!" Crap. That's great. Just _Great. _"Well, see," I explained to Taro. "I was examining this Shrine, and there's some runes on the back of it that I can read, and it says I have to collect sun stones, bring them here, and the powers of the sun stones will raise some sunken islands." Taro stared curiously at me. "Yeah, that works," I mumbled. "Uh huh."

I _can_ read _some_ runes, too, so it wasn't a complete lie, right? "Oh, you mean one of these?" Taro asked, a look of realization flashed across his face. He pulled out a bright red and orange stone in the shape of the sun. Its center was very warm, and I could feel its power surge through me just by touching it. "Th-That's it!" I heard Agete say from down by my feet. "That's a sun stone!" I smiled, and said, "Exactly," to Taro. "Great, then you may have it," Taro said, handing me the stone. I put it in the magical pocket where I keep all of my sunstones, and smiled at Taro. "Thanks!" I exclaimed. "No problem," Taro said. "As long as you raise islands. I remember hearing a story that this place used to have old islands that sunk...Maybe Regis told it to me." I chuckled, thinking of the Vampire-like man.

Taro gave me a funny look, and then left me with Agete. "So, where do I find these sun stones?" I asked him. "Um, well, if you befriend people, they might give some to you...and maybe you can find some by exploring. One of my friends said they saw one by the old well on Sprout Island. Places like that." "Thanks," I told him. "That should get me started." Agete waved, and then with another glow of light, he vanished. I stared in disbelief after him.

Most of the people had left now. The only ones left were Julia and Natalie, who were standing by the dock, waiting for the boat to come back. After all, it had other people to drop off. I ran over to them, and breathlessly said, "Hey guys!" "Hi, Chelsea," They both said at the same time. "Hey, if you guys find any sun stones, tell me," I said. "I'm raising islands with them." When they stared at me curiously, I described the stones to them. When I was done, Natalie exclaimed, "Oh! You mean one of these?" She pulled out a sunstone. "I found it on the beach the other day." I nodded. "Yeah, that's it!" "Here, have it," She handed me the sunstone. My eyes widened, and I asked, "Are you sure?" "Yeah! As long as you start raising those islands soon!" She winked at me, and at that point, the boat arrived. We all got on without another word.

It was now about eleven-thirty. I was in my house, trying to do the math to see if I wanted a barn, a chicken coop, or a house upgrade first, and which one would save and make me the most money.

The chicken coop was the least lumber, but it was quite a bit of money. Chickens would be helpful, though. And it was more useful than a house upgrade, and I need more experience with the little animals before taking care of cows and sheep, so I decided to go for the chicken coop first.

Finally, after putting away the pencil and paper I had used to do some "money math," I rushed out of my home. _First I'll do a little search for sunstones, _I thought. _Then I'll grab a quick bite of lunch, and go visit Natalie and-_ "**HEY!**" I heard a little voice from under me. "Please, ouch, that hurts! Please, move!" What the heck? I took a little step back, and out from under my feet popped up a little red Harvest Sprite. He looked different from Agete, though. "Hi!" He exclaimed. "I'm Coral. I'm one of your neighbors from Harvest Sprite Island!" "_One_ of my neighbors?" I asked. "How many of you are there?" "Oh, only a couple," Coral replied. "Anyway, we just want to help you, since you are our neighbor and all. Anytime you want, just come and talk to me on our island, which you can now see to the right of your ranch, and we'll do enchantments for you! We can help feed your animals, water crops, charm people...that type of thing!" I nodded, understanding. "Okay, cool! Well, gotta run!" And with that, he disappeared.

I shook my head, because the whole event was a little odd. But it was nice to know that _someone_ could help me if I needed it. Even if that someone was a tiny elfish thing with green hair. But still.

I practically ran across the bridge to Verdure Island. I wonder where that name came from. Who would name an island Verdure Island? Oh well.

As I approached the General Store, I slowed down to a walk, enjoying the crisp, country air. Then I stopped walking for a moment and my brain started to buzz. Where oh where could my little sunstones be?

"Chelsea!" I heard a slightly familiar voice say. My head turned to the voice; it was Chen. "Hi, Chen," I said. "What's up?" "This mail came from the city for you." Chen said, handing an envelope to me. "I get mail for everyone, by the way. Heh, sorry it's kind of late." "No problem," I replied. "Snail mail is cool." He smiled at me, and then rushed back inside his shop.

On the envelope in neat, perfect Handwriting were the words:

_Chelsea Hunter_

_1779 Ranch Island_

_Sunshine Islands _

I immediately knew whom it was from.

I quickly tore open the envelope, and gasped at how long the note was.

_Dear Chelsea,_

_I'm glad to know that you seem to like the islands. Your mother picked well._

_Speaking of your mother, she is doing much better. I think knowing that you left Brian's grasp has healed her mind and soul a little. Your brother, Ash, is doing well, also. Your mother was well enough to order some medicine from the store for him. He is quietly sleeping right now._

_I am writing this at about eleven-thirty PM, at my home. Your mother says hello, and we have decided to give you a code name when I write you letters to keep your location even more unknown to your father. Your "new name" will be Samantha Pen. _

_Brian was extremely angry when he discovered you left, but for some reason he didn't send out a search party or anything. I asked him why, but he said, "She doesn't deserve a home like this. I'll find her eventually, anyway." I am truly sorry he despises your family so much, Chelsea. _

_Speaking of Brian, your mother secretly ordered a search group from the police to track him, and keep and eye on him. This way if he's caught in the act, they'll be able to arrest him. Maybe then your family will have the peace you have long deserved._

_I'm afraid that's all I can write for now. May you find great friends in your new life, but know that your old ones still miss you, also._

_Your friend,_

_Mr. Smith, Butler, and Sean. _

I almost leaped for joy after reading the letter. Mother and Ash were doing well! A smile appeared on my face, and I sighed. Everything was almost okay...for now.

**Okay, short chapter, I know, sorry! It's sort of a "filler." But yes, now we can get on with the good stuff! Do you like Sean? I do. Please Review! Oh yeah, my story may steer a little away from the game plot...oh well, okay? Yeah. Deal. :)**


	5. Chapter 4: City Shopping

**Okay, so I'm having a serious case of writer's block for this chapter...It's incredibly sad. Ha ha ha, we'll see how it goes. I'm sure I'll edit, and re-edit, and edit again! ENJOY!**

**Chapter 4: City Shopping**

This whole week has gone by pretty fast...all I did on Tuesday was stay at home and tend to my field, clearing everything on it. I was exhausted by the end of the day. On Wednesday, I went to visit everyone in town, and wrote a quick note back to Sean, talking about how I loved my "new name," and how everything was going well. I also explained to him about my new quest, giving him the same "rune" story that I gave Taro. I'm still waiting for a reply, even though it's Sunday. Thursday I went on a search for sun stones, and found one on my farm, Sprout Island, Verdure Island, and Harvest Sprite Island. I'm thinking about raising Volcano Island, first. Friday Julia gave me a sunstone, saying that she wanted to give it to me since Natalie gave me one, also. I thought that was nice of her! Finally, yesterday, I did some major branch chopping, and got to ship my ripe turnips. Everything is now going quite well!

So here I am, on Sunday morning, watering my potatoes. I'm still waiting for a reply from Sean, sadly. He's taking a long time to write back. I'm a little worried about him, but I push that thought away. Everything is probably fine, right?

I now have seven sunstones, and one hundred twenty-five pieces of lumber. How's that for five days? I'm super close to getting that chicken coop, because thanks to those turnips, I now have around six thousand dollars, which gives me enough money, and some left over. That's also from shipping random things I forage here and there.

I can also feel myself getting stronger, and a little more used to life here. Everyday I love these islands even more!

Suddenly, I hear a voice from behind me call, "Chelsea! **CHELSEA!**" I recognize Julia's peppy voice. Turning around, I see she is running towards me, hair flying, and her eyes are wide and excited. "What's up, Julia?" I ask. "How...would you...like...to go...**SHOPPING?**" Julia said between pants, squealing the last word. "Shopping?" I asked, bewildered. "Where?" "Uh, the city, where else?" Julia replied, laughing. I almost screamed at the thought of going there, but managed to choke out, "W-Why? How?" "Natalie's mom needs her to go to the city to get some stuff, but she wants me and you to tag along with her! She said we could have a girl's day out! And then, this is the best part, _my_ Mom said we can have a _sleepover_ over at my house after!" Julia squealed like a little girl.

Okay, so I now have a major problem. Going to the city would be extremely risky, because who knew what Brian would be doing today. But I really, _really _want to go. I haven't had a girl's day out since I was **eleven. ELEVEN! **I'm _nineteen._

"Um, well," I started. "Pah-LEEEEAAASE!" Julia whined, interrupting. I sighed. "On one condition. You have to call me either Samantha or Sam while we're there." "Huh?" Julia asked. "Why?" "Um, long story short, that's what I'm known as in the city..." I quickly blurted, coming up with an excuse. Yeah, that sort of works. I almost laughed out loud it was so far away from the truth, but Julia fell for it. "Okay, whatever you want. YAY! Come on, the boat leaves at nine!" She grabbed my hand, but I checked my watch, and saw it said eight thirty. Quickly, I said, "Wait, Julia, I have to grab some things first. You go without me!" "Oh, fine," Julia sighed. "Don't be late!"

I practically ran into my house, and felt adrenaline and excitement pulse through me. Girl's day! WHOO HOO!

I grabbed a pair of black sunglasses from my suitcase, and took my bandana off, tying my hair into a ponytail. Then, I put on a pink baseball cap, sticking my ponytail through the hole in the back. Every rich girl needs a disguise, right? I giggled, and the sound surprised me. It was so unlike me to laugh, even though I had done it so much the past few days.

After one final mirror check, deciding I actually looked kind of cute, I headed out the door.

It was a sunny day, and as usual, the air on the islands was crisp and fresh. I practically skipped across the bridge to Verdure Island. I wondered what I would buy, and how this whole thing would go. I definitely wanted to eat somewhere other than the diners, and some_thing_ other than green herbs, or some water and bread.

I stopped when I heard someone, yet again, say my name. "Chelsea!" I turned around to face Chen, who was walking towards me. He had an envelope in his hand, and I brightened up a little. Maybe that was a reply from Sean? This day was going to be great, I could tell.

"We have a small problem," He said. The sudden cloud of depression hanging over us dampened my brightness. Just kidding. I'm not _that_ dramatic. Am I?

"And what's that?" I asked. "Well, lately, someone has been sending mail to your _address,_ but your _name _isn't on the envelope. Someone named Samantha Pen...?" Crap. I forgot to tell him that my name "changed." "Oh, sorry Chen! That's what one of my friends back home calls me. It's an inside joke." I quickly improvised. I've gotten pretty good at lying though, which might be a bad thing...oh well. "Ah," Chen replied. "Well then, this is yours. It came about two days ago. Sorry." "That's okay," I said. "Thanks anyway." He handed me the note, and then walked away. This time, the note had unfamiliar handwriting, but I knew the name. On the return address were these words:

_Timothy Jackson_

_7842 Matthew Drive_

_Immunda City_

Timothy Jackson is Sean's codename. He chose it just before I left to come here, so that just in case he used it, I would know whom it was.

I quickly tore open the envelope, knowing that I only had a little bit of time left until I had to get on the boat.

_Dear Samantha,_

_Your mother suggested that I use my codename when I write you, and write with my left hand, for even more protection. That is why you may not recognize the handwriting. I hope this letter finds you well. _

_Ash is doing much better, and he is beginning to start his work around the house again. Your mother is the best she's been in years, and, as for myself, I am genuinely happy for the state of your family right now. _

_Brian has left for a weeklong business trip. Your mother is trying to get the butlers and maids in the mansion happy again, because lately they have seemed a little down. Madame Hunter thinks it is because of Brian._

_I am delighted to hear that your life is going well, and I hope you write soon. If not, it's all right. I understand you must be busy. _

_Your friend,_

_Timothy_

I smiled. Everything was going well at home, even though I missed my family, well, not including Brian, terribly. Even better, Brian was on a weeklong business trip according to Sean, so that means there's practically no risk for going to the city now. I still wanted Julia and Natalie to call me Samantha or Sam though.

I checked my watch, and it said 8:54. CRAP! I have to go! Wait, why am I still standing here? I've got to get to the boat on time!

**Julia's POV-**

I'm _so_ excited for the girl's day today. We can go shopping, eat lunch at somewhere other than the café, diner, or my house, and then the best part: At my house, we'll have a sleepover! EEP! We can do each other's hair, nails, and gossip! It's going to be great! I mean, I know I'm nineteen and all, but who _doesn't_ like hanging out with your best buds?

I'm a little worried about Chelsea. She was acting all weird about going to the city. She looked like she was choking when I told her. It seriously freaked me out a little.

And then, she told me to call her Sam? **What?** Also, I totally don't believe her excuse. I'm gonna guess it's a family issue, but I won't pry. Maybe tonight she'll tell me why. And, if not, I'll ask later.

The only bad part about tonight is that Vaughn is probably going to be on the same boat coming back as we are. After all, he will be in the city today, too, but tomorrow's a Monday. Oh well. I can't expect it to be perfect. But if Vaughn ruins _our _girl's day, I'll kill him! Now, Natalie and I just have to wait for Chelsea to arrive...

**Chelsea's POV-**

Finally, I got to the dock. I checked my watch, and it said 8:58. All right! I made it with two minutes to spare!

I walked up to Natalie and Julia, who were both chatting by the dock. As soon as I approached, Natalie cried, "Yay! You're here!" I nodded, and smiled from ear to ear. This was going to be so much fun!

Eventually, the boat came, and we all got on. Natalie gave the driver some tickets. I'm guessing Felicia bought them.

As the boat began to go, Natalie, Felicia, and I sat down at a little table with four chairs. "Um, so guys," Julia started. "I have some bad news..." "What?" Natalie and I asked at the same time. This can't be good, can it?

"Well, Vaughn is going to be coming on the boat home with us tonight..." Julia trailed off, shrinking under Natalie's and my evil glares. I don't know why, but I almost smiled under the glare. What the heck is going on with me? "Fine," Natalie said, sighing. "We can just ignore him, right?" "Y-Yup," Julia replied. "Actually, speaking of Vaughn, I saw Sabrina staring at him the other day with her big puppy dog eyes. Then she went up and tried to talk to him, but he totally just ignored her!" "Aw, poor Sabrina!" Julia cried. For a few seconds, I felt my blood boil, and some unknown feeling came over me. I wondered what it was; it felt like I was _mad_ at Sabrina. But why should I be?

We continued to talk about some pointless things. Lanna always gave us the new celebrity gossip, so we talked about that. At one point, Julia said, "Pobert Rattinson is just _so_ cute!" We all burst out laughing three seconds later.

Finally, about an hour of talking and some excited waiting, we arrived at the city. "EEP!" Julia cried. "We're here, we're here, we're HERE!" I giggled at her excitement, even though mine was on the brink of bubbling over, also.

As we got off the boat, I looked around at the much-too-familiar city. All of the buildings were either brand new, or ancient. It was never in between. There were cars rushing everywhere, and a loud buzz of people talking on cell phones and to other people.

"So," Natalie said. "Where do we start?" I still have my rucksack on, and my "full proof" disguise. My rucksack has all of my money in it.

"Hm," Julia replied. "Let's go shopping! And then we can have lunch at a yummy restaurant...Ch-Sam, you used to live here, too, right?" I was thankful that she corrected herself on my name. "Uh, yeah," I replied. "We should probably go to Rush Hour for lunch...Best food _ever!_" I remember when Sean would take me there every Sunday, because I liked to give the cooks a little break.

"All right, let's get started!" Natalie exclaimed, and pumped a fist into the air. I smiled, and giggled. This was going to be fun, I could tell.

It's around noon now. Natalie, Julia and I are at Rush Hour, and the food is just as good as I remember it being.

We went to "Chick Flick" as our first shopping store, and then a few others after that. I still don't get why it's called Chick Flick...maybe they didn't know what to call it?

I had gotten a new outfit; it was a dark blue camisole over a light blue t-shirt, with jean shorts. I loved it, and, of course, got a blue bandana to go with it.

"So," Julia started. "What should we do after this?" "Well," Natalie said. "I need some new shoes." "So do I, maybe we should go shoe shopping?" Julia suggested. "Sam, are you okay with that?" "Well, actually," I said. "I really need to get a new book, and I know a nice book shop here in the city. Maybe we could split for an hour and meet back here?" "Are you sure?" Natalie asked. "Totally," I replied. "I used to live here, remember?" Also, what was the risk? Brian wasn't here today.

"Oh, Sam," Natalie suddenly whispered. "Cute guy, twelve o'clock." Julia giggled, and I turned around in my chair to look quickly. Then, I gasped, stood up, and mumbled to Julia and Natalie, "Excuse me for a moment."

I wondered how I could get him to figure out it was me with my "disguise" on. Then, I saw a note pad and pen on the bar's counter, and snatched it away, walking over to his table.

He was reading a newspaper, and had sunglasses on. His light brown hair was shining under the light, and he was wearing his break clothes, which was a short sleeve red shirt and jeans. He looked nineteen to me, even though he was really twenty-three.

I skipped over to his table, and said, "Hi, welcome to Rush Hour, how can I help you?" "Well, I'd like-" He started to say in his sort of "raspy" tenor voice, but I interrupted. "Lemme guess...You want a coke, salad with blue cheese on the side, a double burger with onion rings, and a peppermint to go?" He stared, dumbfounded, at me, and stuttered, "Y-yes, how did you know that?" I sat down on the seat across from him, sighed, and slowly pulled off my sunglasses. Everyone says my sapphire eyes could be recognized anywhere, which is the reason I wore sunglasses.

His mouth dropped open, and he whispered, "Ch-Chelsea?" I smiled and nodded. "Or Sam, your choice," I replied. Sean grinned from ear to ear, and stood, pulling from my seat and grasping me in a bone-crushing hug. "What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous it is?" He asked, but I could here the laughter, like bells, in his voice. "Yes," I replied. "But you said Brian was gone, and I'm here with some friends. Oh, Sean, I've missed you so much! And it's only been a week!" "I know," He replied. "I know."

It was a touching moment, but we broke apart quickly, and sat back down, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves. I put my sunglasses back on, and he said, "So, how are you doing? Why didn't you write back to the letter I sent you? I was worried." "Uh, yeah, that was my fault..." I said, giggled, and explained to him the "new name" problem with Chen. Then I answered all his questions, and when he was finished asking, we just sat there, his expression saying how much he missed me. I'm sure I was the same.

"Well," I finally said. "I should probably go back to Julia and Natalie. It was great to see you, Sean. I didn't think you'd still come here on Sundays!" He laughed. "I couldn't bare breaking the tradition, miss." "Oh, back to butler language, are we?" I asked. "I hate it when you do that. Talk regularly, please. For me." He sighed, and then replied, "Okay. Goodbye, Sam." We hugged once more, and then I walked back to Natalie and Julia's table, ready for the flood of questions that they would probably ask me.

Sure enough, Natalie started as soon as I sat down. "Oh...my...gosh...What was that about?" I laughed, and said, "_That_ was about seeing an old family friend." I explained it without necessary details. "He's _cute_ though!" Julia exclaimed. "Why don't you date him?" I almost choked on the food I was chewing when she said that, but quickly swallowed, laughing. "Okay, one, he's an old family friend. Like a brother. Nothing more, nothing less." "Well then I'll take a shot at him," Julia said, beginning to stand up. Once again, I giggled, and said, "Julia, he's twenty-three. He's too old for you." Julia sat back down and simply muttered, "Darn." Natalie and I giggled.

Okay, so, I know, it's super weird that I have a butler who's only four years older than me. But he used to be one of my _real_ dad's students in high school, and Sean came over a lot to help my dad grade papers, talk, and all that stuff. So Sean stayed as a good family friend for a while. He couldn't bare to leave my mom and I when dad died, so he took the only job in the mansion he could find, a butler, and lived as close to us as possible. Turns out, he liked the job, and stayed. Weird story, I know, but it's true.

I remember the first year that he did the job, about four years ago, he told me how to get to my favorite spot in the city.

_ "PLEASE Sean, tell me where you went!" I exclaimed. _

_ "All right miss, but you must not tell," He replied, sighing in defeat. _

_ "I promise!" I replied. "Okay, so you must go through the back door of the house, through the little woods, and past the old shed that looks like a tiny barn. Then you will find it," Sean told me._

Sean says he found it when he was doing forest work some day, clearing out some of the old woods.

It turns out that the place he was talking about was about a mile away from the house, and it was a beautiful clearing with wildflowers and a little pond. There was also a "wall" of rock around half of it, mountains, that reached as high as the clouds. I had never gone beyond that spot, but I knew there must be even more mystery after the rock wall.

Eventually, the waitress brought our bill, and Julia, Natalie, and I went outside. "Okay," I started to explain. "So if you go down this road and turn right, you'll find a whole mall area. In the mall is a shoe store. It's awesome! Go have fun!" They both smiled, and waved, saying, "Bye!" Before they headed off.

You know how I said I wanted to go to a bookstore? Well, that's not true. There's somewhere I'd like to go first...

**Vaughn's POV-**

Ugh. Boss told me to take the rest of the day off. Is that bad? He said I don't take enough vacation days.

I decided I would take a walk around the city, and maybe go to the café and grab some coffee. Then I had to board the boat to go to Sunshine Islands.

Involuntarily, I groaned. Sunshine Islands. That meant I had to see Julia and Natalie. And, of course, Chelsea. With her stupid Sapphire eyes and chestnut colored hair-**I need to stop **_**doing**_** that!** I need to stop thinking about her. She doesn't mean anything to me.

I was walking past a large, clean looking mansion, when I heard the whine of a dog. It sounded in pain. And then the "fluff" Vaughn took over.

I followed the sound, which led me to a forest behind the mansion. I ran towards the whining, looking everywhere for the noise. After a while, I ran past a run down looking shed. I wondered what an old shed would be doing in the middle of the forest? I looked inside, but the dog wasn't in there.

I kept running, and then, in about two seconds, the forest stopped abruptly, and I was in a pretty clearing with wildflowers and a pond. Around half of the clearing was a rock wall, which probably went as high as the clouds. Beyond that wall were two forests on each side, and then a clearing that went down the middle.

I listened closely for the whining dog, but didn't hear it. And then, just as I turned around, I saw a pair of sapphire eyes, and heard a growl that could scare just about anyone except me. "What the heck are you doing here?" Chelsea growled. And I knew I was in for some trouble.

**Ooooooh... Vaughn you just got caught in Chelsea's thinking place! Okay, sorry, I know there wasn't much Vaughn in that chapter, but it got longer than I thought it would, so I had to break it off. :( However, there WILL be more next chapter, and A LOT, for that matter! Sorry about the little cliff hanger, but you've got to love them. MU HA HA HA! More drama soon to come... he he he. Did the encounter with Sean surprise you? Review, please!**


	6. Chapter 5: A Strange Encounter

**Okay, I'm sure you all have waited patiently, thanks so much! The cliffhanger last time was a little bit evil, and I hope this chapter makes up for it! ENJOY!**

**Chapter 5: A Strange Encounter**

**Chelsea's POV-**

"What the heck are you doing here?" I growled at Vaughn.

This was Sean's and my special place, just for us, no one else. "How did you find it? You better have a good explanation, or you're going to get a good smack in the face, Vaughn." I hate him. I _hate_ him! This place was special, and it was only for Sean and me!

Vaughn walked closer to me, and growled, "One, I didn't see any signs that said 'no trespassing,' or 'Chelsea's spot.' Two, I came here because I heard a dog whining, and it sounded like they needed help. Three, if you hit me, I'll hit you right back."

My blood boiled, and I could feel my face grow hot. "This is my place. Get out," I almost screamed the last part, but my voice still contained the threatening growl. "Who says?" Vaughn growled. "I do." I replied. "And why should I listen to you? You're just some stupid little girl who _thinks_ she can run a ranch, and go wherever she wants to. This isn't your place. You don't belong in Sunshine Islands, either."

That did it. My anger boiled, over, and before I could think about it, I punched him in the cheek. _Hard. _He fell to the ground, and I screamed at him, "You have no right to say that, stupid cowboy! I am going to succeed at running the ranch, and I can go wherever I please. _You're _the one who doesn't belong at the islands!" Suddenly, Vaughn got up, and before I could dodge it, he punched me back. In the jaw. _Hard. _I fell to the ground, and almost cried out in pain. My jaw hurt, really badly. But that wasn't going to stop me.

I quickly jumped up and lunged at him, we wrestled on the ground, spitting out words at each other. "You have no right to say that!" Vaughn spat out, as he hit me in the jaw...again. _Harder. _"I have every right! You don't know what I've been through," I screeched, hitting him in the cheek...again. _Harder. _"Right back at you, jerk." Vaughn replied. And then, something terrible happened. Something that might just end my life.

Vaughn literally _threw_ me into the pond. And it's a deep pond. And guess what else? I don't like oceans, I don't like lakes, and I don't like ponds.

I can't swim.

**Vaughn's POV-**

"How did you find it? You better have a good explanation, or you're going to get a good smack in the face, Vaughn." Chelsea growled at me. I didn't think about what I replied, but I growled right back, "One, I didn't see any signs that said 'no trespassing,' or 'Chelsea's spot.' Two, I came here because I heard a dog whining, and it sounded like they needed help. Three, if you hit me, I'll hit you back." "This is my place. Get out," Chelsea threatened, glaring at me. "Who says?" I replied. "I do." Chelsea stated. "And why should I listen to you? You're just some stupid little girl who _thinks_ she can run a ranch, and go wherever she wants to. This isn't your place. You don't belong in Sunshine Islands, either." I blurted the words out. Oops. I didn't mean to be that mean. As I said before, sometimes, it just happens. But I still don't get why Chelsea is reacting this way...

CRACK! Suddenly, I was on the ground, and my cheek was stinging. **SHE HIT ME? **Oh, she's gonna get it now.

We fought. A lot. And some pretty mean stuff came out of our mouths. And then, I got so mad, I picked Chelsea up, and threw her into the water.

**Big mistake.**

I expected the pond to be shallow, and I heard Chelsea scream as she went down, "I can't-" But then, the water swallowed her. I stood there a few seconds, panting, waiting for her chestnut hair to pop out of the water. But after several seconds, it didn't.

Wait a second, when she said; "I can't," what was the last word she wanted to put in there? Was it- Oh, _**crap. **_

I immediately pulled off my boots, socks, hat, and torso stuff. Whether I liked this girl or not, there was now way I was going to accidentally kill her.

I dove into the pond, expecting that it must be pretty deep. I was right.

Chelsea was at the very bottom; eyes closed, body limp, her hat and sunglasses gone. She wasn't even making an attempt to get back to surface. Yup. She definitely can't swim.

I grabbed her in my arms reluctantly, and swam as fast as I could up to the surface. Gasping for air once I got up, I quickly took Chelsea back to the clearing, laying her down gently.

Her shiny sapphire eyes, however, were still closed, and her chest wasn't moving up and down. My breath caught in my throat when I realized what I had to do. "Oh, _**crap.**_" I muttered again.

Desperately hoping she would wake up before I had to give her CPR, I leaned down, and pressed my hands against her chest, hard. At least I knew how to do it. Hopefully this will work.

Sure enough, water came out of her mouth after the first few pumps that I did. Finally, she coughed, and my hands rose as I felt her chest rise and fall. She would live.

**Chelsea's POV-**

"I Can't!" I meant to add, "swim" to the end, but I got in the water too soon for that.

Desperately trying to struggle back to the surface, I hoped maybe there was a slim chance I would live. But when I couldn't get air, those hopes fell. I knew I was going to die.

Giving up my last few thrashes, I let my body fall to the bottom. Just as I let myself slip unconscious though, I felt arms reach around my body. They were strong and rough, but made me feel safe. If I had any air left in my lungs, I would sigh in content. Maybe dying was comfortable?

It was then that I slipped into unconsciousness.

I gasped for air, and my eyes fluttered open. Wait, I'm breathing. Am I alive?

Finally, my vision cleared, and I saw a jaw-length silver haired guy, with no shirt on, and his hair was sopping wet. "V-Vaughn?" I croaked out. He just stared at me, and I sighed. That stupid cowboy must have saved me from drowning. I still hate him, yet I feel...grateful, also. "Are you okay, Chelsea?" He asked, his voice a little gruff, but I could detect the gentleness way deep down. Way, _way _deep down. It was there, though. "Hmm..." I murmured. I meant to say yes, but I didn't have enough energy to do that. Instead, I weakly nodded my head. "Good," Vaughn replied. He stood up, and walked over to a pile of clothes, that I guessed were his, that were by the pond's shore. Groggily, I got up, and said to Vaughn, "I'm sorry. And...Thanks for saving me." "Just don't make me do it again," Vaughn growled. "As long as you don't throw me in a pond," I retorted, glaring at him. He was fully dressed again, and had his hat back on.

"I'm...sorry I hit you," Vaughn mumbled. "What?" I asked, leaning in a little. "You heard me," Vaughn scoffed. I smiled, and held in a laugh. I walked over to sit by shore of the pond, and Vaughn glared at me, saying, "Uh, didn't you just nearly drown in that thing?" "Yes," I replied. "So?" "So, why are you sitting by it? Do you _want_ to fall in?" Vaughn smugly smiled. "Hey, this pond is special." I replied, heating up a little again.

I knew Vaughn was about to make a retort, but then, we both heard a dog whine in the distance. "So you weren't lying," I mumbled. Vaughn ignored that comment and ran off. I followed him. "What are you doing?" He yelled to me. "Helping," I replied. "You save me, I save the dog, and maybe one day the dog will save you. Then we'll all be even." I heard Vaughn laugh. _LAUGH?_ WHAT?

Finally, we found the poor little dog. It was a Border Collie puppy, and it was lying on the ground, blood spilling out of his paw. Vaughn knelt down next to it, and I followed. "There, there, little guy," He murmured. "We'll have you fixed up in no time." I saw Vaughn pull some bandage out of his pocket. "Uh, why do you have that?" I asked. "In case of emergencies, like this one," Vaughn said while fixing the dog's paw. "What can I do to help?" I asked. Vaughn sighed, and replied, "Stop talking."

So I stayed silent. It was the least I could do, right? Vaughn saved my life, anyway. Maybe this cowboy wasn't so stupid after all...

Vaughn fixed the dog's paw in about five minutes. I was impressed, and also got to see the fluff side of Vaughn. I carried the little guy back to the clearing, where he took a drink from the pond, and then took a nap. Vaughn and I stood silently, watching him for a while, when suddenly I blurted, "Do you think I could keep him?" "Maybe," Vaughn mumbled. "I'll name him...Sean." I smiled at the name. Sean had always like dogs. "Hmm, actually, no. Sean Jr." "Why Sean Jr?" Vaughn asked. "Um, I have a friend, named Sean. He helped me find this place. He's my best friend, and that's why this place is so important to me. It's my special spot, the one place I could escape from my-Sorry, you don't care. It's actually best you don't know." Vaughn stared at me, and I felt a little wetness on my cheek. It was a tear. I quickly looked away, brushing the tear off my cheek.

"You can, uh, tell me, if you want, Chelsea," Vaughn mumbled, shuffling his feet. "No, I'm fine," I replied.

We eventually sat down by Sean Jr, and didn't talk for a while, until Vaughn said, "I'm sorry I invaded." "That's okay," I replied. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't have met Sean Jr!" I laughed, and Vaughn smiled...a little. But it disappeared quickly, to my disappointment. "Could we...start over?" I asked. Vaughn looked confused, and so I said, "Hi, I'm Chelsea Hunter, and I'm going to take over the Ranch on Sunshine Islands. Pleased to meet you." I stuck out my hand, and Vaughn shook it. "Vaughn, the animal dealer." He stated gruffly.

Suddenly, I blurted, "Why are you so anti-social? And why do I feel like you hate me?" Then, I turned scarlet. Stupid, stupid Chelsea, not thinking about what you're saying. What's the matter with you?

Vaughn sighed, and said, "You tell some of your story, I'll tell some of mine." "That's no fair! My story is personal and-Oh, wait, so is yours, probably..." I trailed off. Vaughn nodded, grimacing. "I don't hate you, by the way," Vaughn said. "We started over, remember?" "_No_, I have short term memory loss," I replied sarcastically.

We sat in silence again. I was surprised when he asked me, "So what are you doing here?" "Uh, Julia and Natalie invited me to have a girl's day," I replied. Vaughn nodded, and I continued, "Just to warn you, Julia invited Natalie and I to spend the night at her house tonight, also." "I should've known," Vaughn scoffed.

We both jumped when Sean Jr. stood up and barked suddenly. I wondered what was wrong, when I saw the _real_ Sean burst out of the forest. "Ch-SAM!" He exclaimed. "I thought I'd find you here. Go. Hide. Brian is back early. Head back to the city and-" Sean broke off abruptly. "What?" I asked. Sean's gaze flickered to Vaughn. "Friend," I stated. Sean relaxed a little, and continued, "Oh no. Your sunglasses are gone. You'll have to avoid Brian, he followed me...It's like he's been stalking me ever since you left. He knows something is up." I heard a voice in the distance yell, "**SEAN! Where are you?"** "Crap," I muttered. That voice was Brian.

Scooping up Sean Jr. in my arms, I quickly, but shyly, grabbed Vaughn's hand and we both dashed into the bushes. I peeked over the top of them and saw Brian emerging from the forest. _Just in time,_ I thought. "What is-" I put one hand on Vaughn's mouth and one finger to my lips. I then mouthed the word, "Later."

Thankfully, Sean Jr. was quiet. I pulled Vaughn quickly through the forest, running as fast as I possibly could. Darn it, crap, crap. I hope Brian didn't see us. This could end badly.

Finally, I saw my house up ahead. Hiding behind some pine trees that made a "fence" around the yard, Vaughn, Sean Jr., and I rushed back to the heart of the city. Eventually all three of us collapsed on a bench, panting hard.

"What...was...that...about?" Vaughn panted. "Long story...Short..." I started. "My dad...hates me...I...hate him...Personal story..." Vaughn just nodded, and I checked my watch. It said 2:30.

_2:30? __**2:30?**_ Natalie and Julia must be freaking! Luckily, I was really close to the shoe shop, and maybe they hadn't noticed what time it was, either. "Vaughn, I have to go..." I said. "I'll come with you. We have to get on the same boat back, anyway." Vaughn replied. I smiled at him, and murmured, "Thanks."

I explained to him that Julia and Natalie were hopefully in the shoe store still, and that we had promised to meet about an hour ago.

We finally went inside, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Julia and Natalie were at the cashier, checking out. The store was HUGE, odds are they got lost or something.

When they turned to leave, Natalie saw Vaughn and me and waved. I gave her a big smiled back, but Vaughn just scowled. I nudged him, and muttered, "You know, you could always start over, too." Vaughn shook his head.

Julia skipped over, but Natalie trailed behind a little. "Hi, Vaughn!" She greeted cheerfully. Then, Julia saw Sean Jr., who was still in my arms, and melted. "AW, who's this little guy?" "Sean Jr.," I replied. "My new puppy." Natalie patted Sean Jr.'s head, and Sean Jr. licked her hand. Natalie giggled, and then said, "Sorry we're kind of late...Julia and I got lost." I laughed, my suspicions being correct. Then, Julia noticed me and her eyes grew wide. "Why are you soaked, Sam?" Vaughn looked from me to Julia, and then probably remembered Sean calling me Sam, and played along. I was about to reply, when he gruffly said, "Sam went for a little 'swim.'" He put air quotations around the word "swim." I nudged him playfully, and retorted, "More like Vaughn threw me in a pond." "Hey, you're the one who-"Hey now, remember that we started over?" I contradicted playfully. "_No_, I have short term memory loss," Vaughn retorted, rolling his eyes. I laughed, and Vaughn surprisingly half smiled at me.

Julia and Natalie looked at me, to Vaughn, and then back to me. They both looked confused, and so I mouthed the words, "Later." They nodded, and Julia said, "So, uh, shouldn't we get going soon?" "Yeah, this little guy needs to get some sleep," I replied, gesturing to Sean Jr. who was still in my arms. And so with that, Vaughn, Julia, Natalie, and I, walked out of the store.

And **maybe** this cowboy isn't so stupid after all.

**Maybe.**

**YAY! Did you like it? Please review! Lots of Vaughn in this Chapter...as promised. I like how he really warmed up in that one paragraph towards the end. Sadly though, our stupid but cute, sarcastic, awesome cowboy can't warm up TOO quickly! More drama to come! *WINK***


	7. Chapter 6: Midnight Snack

_**IMPORTANT! READ!**_

Okay, just to let you know...

This next chapter may sound a little familiar to those of you who have read the story "The Fisherman, The Nerd, And the Cowboy," By xxtoriixx. WELL, the thing is, I had this idea a while ago, and was dying to put it in the story, but I had to ask xxtorixx for permission first, because it was in her story first. That's why it took so long! Sorry! **SO, half of the credit goes to xxtoriixx. GO READ HER STORY! :) ENJOY! **

**Chapter 6: Midnight Snack**

**Chelsea's POV- **

It was now about nine o'clock as I rushed to Julia's. I accidentally lost track of time when I was fishing...whoops. But it was already 3:30 by the time I got back to Sunshine Islands, and thinking about a certain event with a mysterious cowboy can really occupy your brain, if you get what I'm saying.

Pounding on Julia's door, I ran a hand through my hair, and then smoothed it out again. I wondered if Vaughn would be here...Wait, why am I thinking about him _again?_ That's stupid.

Finally, Julia opened the door. "Chels, you're late!" Julia accused. "Hehe, yeah, sorry," I replied sheepishly, stepping inside. "Natalie's already here," Julia explained. "And thankfully, Vaughn promised that he wouldn't bother us while we talked and stuff. He's staying in the guest room down the hall. _Speaking _of _Vaughn..._" Julia's voice trailed off as we walked into her living room. She poked my arm when we reached Natalie, and after we were situated on the floor, Natalie finished Julia's sentence. "Explain." "What?" I asked, trying my last resort of acting stupid. "Sam went for a little 'swim'?" Julia quoted. "More like Vaughn threw me in a pond?" Natalie continued. "Okay, okay," I replied. "I'll spill. Where do you want me to start?"

"Beginning," Julia and Natalie stated together. I sighed, and then took a deep breath, beginning to explain. "Well, see, I found Vaughn at one of my favorite private places in the city, by my house, and we got into an argument, I punched him, he punched me, and not to mention a few nasty words..._anyway,_ Vaughn got so mad he literally threw me into a pond, but I can't swim. So he had to come in and save me, and maybe do some CPR, I don't know." Julia interrupted with a small gasp, and Natalie grunted. I continued. "So finally I was conscious again, and after a minute we heard Sean Jr. whine, and went to go get him. Vaughn fixed his paw, and then we chatted for a tiny bit, and left. I told him I had to go meet you guys, and he said he'd come with me, since we get on the same boat after all. And I haven't seen him since then."

Okay, so maybe I wasn't telling them the complete truth...Like the fact we'd "started over," and that Brian almost found me, and how Vaughn looked cute with wet hair and-Crap, I've _got_ to stop _doing_ that!

Julia and Natalie stared at me wide eyed for a few seconds, and then Julia asked, "You guys _talked?_ Like in an actual _conversation?_ With my _cousin?_" I nodded. "Is that big?" I asked. "Very," She replied.

After a little awkward silence, Natalie said, "Wow." Julia squealed, and then whispered, "So, do you _like _him?" "What?" I angrily whispered back. "Yeah, I mean, _like _him?" Julia prodded me a little. I sighed, and then, slowly, very slowly, nodded a tiny bit, and replied, "A little, tiny, itty bitty bit. After all, he did save my life." Natalie's mouth popped open to form and 'o' shape, and Julia looked like she was about to burst with excitement and happiness. "_YAY!_" She squealed. "Drama!" "SHH!" I put my fingers to my lips.

"So, Julia, who do _you _like?" Natalie asked, to my relief, changing the subject. "Uh, um, no one..." Julia's voice grew quiet. Natalie and I exchanged an amused glance, and I said, "Oh, come on, Julia, I told you about _him,_" I refused to say his name. "Natalie and I deserve to know." "Well, only if you promise not to get mad at me! Especially you, Natalie," Julia whispered. Natalie and I nodded, and I waited anxiously for the rest. "Um, well, I, uh...Elliot..." Julia's voice grew almost inaudible on the word 'Elliot,' and I giggled. Natalie just stared, until finally almost screaming, "**ELLIOT! AS IN, MY BROTHER, ELLIOT!" **"SHHHH!" Julia and I said at the same time. Then, we heard footsteps from the hallway. "Quick, pretend you're sleeping!" Julia whispered.

We all did, but I was worried, because Sean said I was a terrible actress last time this happened. And, maybe the footsteps were not Mirabelle's, but_ Vaughn's?_

And then, a voice, very softly, said, "Chelsea, hon, are you alright?" It was Mirabelle, and I sighed, saying, "Yes, why?" "You were breathing quickly, and I wondered if you were having a nightmare," Mirabelle replied. "Nope," I smiled slightly, glad that she cared about me. "Sorry. I was just, um, thinking about something, and I guess it...I don't know," My voice trailed off. "Well, okay honey," Mirabelle said uncertainly. "If you need anything, feel free to get it or ask." "Thanks," I replied. She walked away, not even mentioning Natalie screaming about Elliot.

As soon as we heard a door close, Natalie, Julia, and I, burst into giggles. "What were you thinking about, Chelsea?" Natalie asked. "Or _who?"_ Julia suggested. "Oh, Vaughn, Vaughn, my savior. Are you coming to sweep me off my feet and take me away from these gossiping girls?" Natalie's voice mocked. "Shut up!" I cried quietly, hitting her with my pillow. But we all still giggled. It _was_ pretty funny that I was almost actually thinking those same exact words...but I wasn't about to let Julia _or_ Natalie know that.

"I'm tired," Natalie said, yawning. "Let's go to bed." "Mhm," Julia replied, snuggling into her sleeping bag. I did the same, hoping sleep would come. But, unfortunately, it didn't.

Instead, I lay awake a while, trying to count cows and sheep, but Vaughn's face kept popping into my mind. It was nice to know that I might have a new friend, but why was the fact that he was a _guy_ changing the way I thought of him? This had definitely never happened before.

**Vaughn's POV-**

It was around nine o'clock when I heard a knock on the door. A tiny voice in my head said, "That's probably Chelsea," but I ignored it. Was it so wrong that I sort of _wanted_ Chelsea to be my friend? Even after I vowed to never have a friend again? Today, when we were at her special spot, and at the shoe store, my words came out so easily; I had to remember to think before I said something. I miss that feeling.

I remembered what I felt when I discovered she couldn't swim. It almost killed me, knowing that I had probably caused yet _another _death of someone I cared about. Except the only difference was that I cared about Lucy and mom much more than Chelsea.

I discovered tonight, in the shoe store, that I don't regret saving Chelsea's life. I haven't joked around like that in so long! The last time was probably when I was...eight? I haven't joked around since I was _eight?_ I'm **twenty-one! **

About another half hour of lying in bed tossing a hackie-sack in the air and catching it, I suddenly heard a loud voice from the living room say, "**ELLIOT? AS IN MY BROTHER, ELLIOT?"** It sounded like Natalie, and I wanted to go listen to what they were saying, but decided against it. I'd heard lots of squeals so far, so they were probably talking about stuff I wasn't interested in...Right?

Eventually, I couldn't sleep so I decided to get a glass of warm milk.

Walking quietly to the kitchen, I bumped into what I thought was the fridge.

Key words: **What I **_**thought**_** was the fridge.**

Because it wasn't the fridge. It was a person. And not just any person.

I recognized a pair of Sapphire eyes staring up at me from the floor, reflecting the moonlight. "Ouch," Chelsea said, rubbing her head. "Oops," I replied. I awkwardly extended my hand out to her, and she took it, immediately letting go when she was standing.

"Can't sleep?" I asked quietly, so that we wouldn't wake Julia and Natalie. She shook her head, and I replied, "Me either." "I was coming to get some warm milk," We both murmured at the same time, and then we chuckled together. "I love milk," Chelsea whispered. "Especially because it comes from cows. I got to see one once. They're the sweetest little things in the world, besides horses." I nodded. She liked milk for one of the same reasons I did? Huh.

I finally found the _real_ fridge; thankfully, it wasn't Julia, Natalie, or Mirabelle. I pulled out some milk, and Chelsea grabbed two glasses from the cupboard. I poured; she heated them in the microwave. As we waited for the timer to go off, she suddenly whispered, "Are we friends?" Then she put her hand to her mouth, murmuring softly, "Sorry. That wasn't s-supposed to come out of my brain..." I half smiled, but she probably couldn't see in the darkness. "It's okay. I was sort of, well, wondering the same thing..."

The microwave timer went off, and we both jumped, and she giggled. I pulled out my glass, she pulled out hers, and quietly tapping my glass against hers, I murmured, "Cheers." We both chugged down the milk, and sighed. "Um, good night Vaughn..." Chelsea murmured, and then she scurried back to her place in the living room. I smiled, and headed back to my room, also. I could tell that Mondays and Tuesdays might get a little more interesting from now on...

• • •

Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew I was dreaming.

It was when I was nine, and the "incident" happened. Only this time, it wasn't my sister Lucy and my mother who died because of me.

It was Chelsea.

We were all on a boat together, riding to Forget-Me-Not-Valley, when a storm hit. If only I hadn't insisted that we visit my uncle's farm that day. Then, maybe they wouldn't have died.

But, it wasn't Lucy and mom who died, as I said before. It was Chelsea. And I almost cried when I realized that I would never get to see her Sapphire eyes again. It frustrated me that I was overreacting like this. For one thing, it was a _dream._ Second of all, why should I care about her this much?

And knowing that...

How come I _still_ care?

I woke with a start, breathing quickly, and immediately remembering the nightmare. Checking my clock, I saw that it said eight o'clock.

And it was at that point that I decided that I would have to avoid and Chelsea Hunter, because for some reason, everyone that I got close to would always pay the price.

Just like mom and Lucy.

(Author's note: I am _so_ tempted to end it right there, but I won't, because one: That's a pretty evil cliff hanger. :) And two: The chapter would be too short! SO, your welcome for deciding to continue it...Hope you like the rest)

**Chelsea's POV-**

Julia's soft voice singing, "Chelsea, time to wake up!" Roused me from sleeping. I rubbed my eyes before sitting up to stretch, and checked my watch. It said 8:00. Ugh, I'm late for watering. Oh well. It's kind of like a "one-week anniversary vacation" for me right now.

"Morning, Chels," I heard Natalie tiredly yawn from next to me. "Morning Natalie, Julia," I replied, just as tired. I wondered why I felt like I didn't get much sleep, and then I remembered how I had gotten up at around eleven or so last night to go get some milk...and, well, you know the rest.

"Julia, why did you wake us up so _early?_" Natalie asked. "Cause, I wanted to talk a little more!" Julia cried softly. "Besides, you never got to tell us who _you_ like Natalie." I stifled a giggle, because I thought it was funny she liked _Pierre,_ the crazy gourmet who dresses funny...but I guess I like a stupid, anti-social, mysterious, kind, funny, cowboy. So it all ends up even, right?

"Promise not to laugh?" Natalie asked. "_No, _I'm gonna scream out the guy's name you like, and probably everyone in the house will hear, leaving you embarrassed." Julia said, snorting. I giggled, but Natalie glared. "Hey, Elliot is different," Natalie retorted. "He's my brother."

"Okay, back to the subject," Julia said. "So? _SO?_" "So, um," Natalie started, but trailed off. I gave her a look that said, Natalie-if-you-don't-tell-her-I-will, and upon seeing that, she immediately sighed and said, "Fine. It's Pierre." I smiled, and gave her a pat on the back. "Good job," I giggled. But Julia stared, and then began to shout, "PI-No, I'm kidding-OW!" Natalie had hit her with a pillow. I laughed, and that's when we all heard a door slam from the hallway. "Crap," I muttered.

That's when Julia provided "The Plan."

"The Plan" was something we had discussed on the boat. We all knew that if someone came in the middle of the talking, we'd have to immediately talk about something else stupid, because odds are, it would be something important that's not for all ears, as it is now. Julia would provide "The Plan," as said before. So here's how it went:

"Oh my gosh, guys, don't you just _love_ my new nails?" I giggled, the topic was incredibly girly, the perfect thing for Julia to say. "Uh, Julia, there's no nail polish there..." Natalie replied. "Yeah there is! It's a clear coat," Julia retorted, sticking her tongue out at Natalie. I giggled again, and then we all heard a bang from the kitchen.

My head snapped over to Vaughn, who was now covered in something that looked like apple juice, but I could be wrong. He was standing by the fridge, and I think I heard him say some words I should not repeat.

I couldn't help it. I giggled a little. I hid my head in my hands, and laughed quietly. "Nice going, _Vaughny,_" Natalie teased. "Shut up, Natalie!" Vaughn replied. I gave Natalie the death glare, and she whispered to me, "Hey, come on, I was just playing with Vaughn, you don't have to defend him cause you like him." She said the last few words a little louder, and then it was my turn to yell, "Shut up, Natalie!" I then hit her with a pillow.

After this, Julia and Natalie continued to "Plan Talk," but I kept glancing at Vaughn. It was definitely apple juice, as he was carrying the jug in his hand. He also had a bowl of something.

That's when we both made eye contact. I smiled a little, but he held my gaze for a few more seconds, and looked away. I felt a little hurt, but, after all, this was an anti-social cowboy we're talking about here.

I interrupted the "Plan Talk" to say, "Julia, I'm really hungry, and I have to go work on the farm, so I should probably go soon..." "Nonsense!" Julia replied. "At least stay for breakfast." I nodded, hoping it would be Mirabelle that made it, because from what I had learned in the past week, Julia can't cook.

By that point, Vaughn was gone, and I heard a slam from behind him. "Natalie, can you seriously quit doing that?" I asked her quietly. She scowled, but upon seeing my hurt face, she muttered, "Fine. But only cause _you_ asked me to, not for Vaughn." I smiled and gave her a small hug, which she returned.

I was still curious to why Vaughn hadn't acknowledged my greeting. Yesterday, hadn't some things changed? Well, I guess not. And it hurt...a little.

But maybe I'm overreacting a little. He didn't glare, he just _looked. _You know? And even though I like him a _little,_ why do I care?

And, knowing that...

Why do I _still _care?

**Hm...Some drama there, huh? Do you guys like how Vaughn and Chelsea have completely different thoughts, but at some points, they are the same? Like just now with the "Why do I **_**still **_**care?" Review, please!**

**P.S. If you hadn't noticed yet, I write my stories with a LOT of dramatic effect, so italics, bold, all that stuff. And it's also from Chelsea's POV and Vaughn's, and sometimes others, so it's never **_**me**_** talking, unless I put in an author's note with parentheses, like in this chapter. Just wanted to clarify that. :) **

**P.S.S. Hmmmm...I just realized that my little "time separators" aren't showing up. :( That's no good. I'll try to fix it in the next few chapters.  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Weird Chicken Names

**Hi everyone! I hope you like this next chapter...We'll see how it goes! **

**I don't have much to say about it, except... ENJOY! **

**P.S. Yes, I know the title is a little strange. I couldn't think of anything better! Also, that little bit with the crazy field happened to me once! It was so weird, ha ha ha. **

**Chapter 7: Weird Chicken Names**

**Chelsea's POV-**

My potatoes are done, and it's only been about a week or so. Is that normal?

I had a delicious breakfast from Mirabelle this morning, along with Julia and Natalie. Unfortunately, Vaughn hadn't come. Of course, this _is_ Mr. Anti-Social we're talking about, so...

I check my watch, which says 9:30. I put the last potato I had harvested in the shipping bin, and started to do my regular check around the field. Holy cow, how did twenty-five branches, twelve stones, and seven weeds appear overnight? What the heck is wrong with my field? Oh well.

The good thing is, I now have enough branches to build a chicken coop now! Okay, so maybe a crazy field is a _good _thing?

Now in a wonderful mood, I skipped across the bridge to Verdure Island, enjoying the marvelous sunshine today. I waved to Felicia, who was walking around the shipping bin by Taro's house.

Suddenly, I ran into something. Well, more like some_one._ And, just my luck, that person was Vaughn.

"Hi," I said. He grunted, and tipped his hat. It was a little awkward, until Vaughn finally sighed, and said, "Here, Chelsea," while pulling something out of his pocket. It was a sunstone!

"I found this yesterday when we came back from the city. It was by the dock. I heard you were looking for these, so..." He handed it to me. I beamed, and replied, "So _that's _what you were looking at yesterday! Thanks a ton, Vaughn!" It was weird, but I felt the sudden urge to hug him. Luckily, my brain stopped me from moving, except to put the sunstone in my rucksack. "Well, I gotta run Vaughn, lots of stuff to do today." He grunted, and walked away. For a regular person, that was rude, but for I figured for Vaughn, it was normal.

Well, that sunstone put me in an even better mood, because that means I can raise Volcano Island! I almost jumped for joy, and had a skip in my step as I continued to walk to Gannon's to buy a chicken coop.

**Vaughn's POV-**

Okay, I _know_ I said I would avoid Chelsea, but before I start, I should probably give her a sunstone, because after that I can't talk to her anymore. So _now_ I will try to ignore her a little.

I can tell this might be a little harder than I thought.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-

(Author's Note: Sorry that this little Vaughn POV was short, but I wanted to explain why Vaughn wasn't avoiding her yet. Sorry. )

**Chelsea's POV-**

"**GANNON, **my buddy, how ya doing?" My voice boomed as I barged into Gannon's shop. Since the time I was here, I had given Gannon some of my material as a gift, and we had gotten closer. Gannon gave me his "happy" expression, and replied, "Great. What can I do for you, Chelsea?"

"I...need...a...**CHICKEN COOP!**" I excitedly yelled the last part for dramatic effect. "Okay, I'll use the stuff in your supply shed. You can pay me when the work is done," Gannon gruffly said. "Thanks, bud!" I replied, skipping out of the shop.

I giggled, just because I was in a great mood, as I sprinted to Kirk's boat. When I got there, I panted out, "Meadow...Island...Please!" "Okay," Kirk replied.

I love Meadow Island, even though I've only been there two or three times. It's so pretty, and peaceful, too. But for some reason, there's always one person or another wandering around the island. Not to mention Agete, whom I think secretly spies on me when I'm there. In fact, I think _all _the Harvest Sprites secretly spy on me when I can't see them. With that thought, my eyes darted left and right, and I sighed with relief when all I saw was the ocean, some rocks, the sky, and Kirk. "Phew," I murmured. Harvest Sprites now freak me out a little, if you haven't figured that out yet. The Harvest Goddess, on the other hand...I've never seen her, but she sounds amazing.

Finally, Kirk and I reached Meadow Island, and as I exclaimed, "Thanks!" To Kirk I ran over to the shrine.

Uh oh. I still don't know how to exactly "summon" Agete. Well, last time I touched the shrine, and he appeared. Maybe I should try that...

A little sparkle appeared at my toes, and I giggled. Even though Harvest Sprites have a serious stalker status, they _are_ kind of cute. Agete looked up at me, and I heard him say, "Hi, Chelsea! What can I do for you today?" "I want to raise an Island!" I reply eagerly. "Okay, which one do you want to raise?" Agete questioned. "Volcano Island, please." I state confidently. "Are you sure?" Agete asked. I nodded, "Yes," I confirmed. "Alright!" Agete exclaimed.

Suddenly, Meadow Island began to shake. "Wh-wh-wh-what's g-going on?" I yelled to Agete over the loud shaking noise. He didn't answer, but when I turned to stare at him, he was gone. The force of the shake caused me to fall back a little, and then, just like that, it was gone.

The shaking stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew," I murmured. "That was weird." It was like a mini-earthquake had just happened.

I decided that must have been the force of Volcano Island rising from the depths of the ocean. I was so excited to explore, I squealed. "Kirk!" I exclaimed, rushing to his boat. "Bring me to Volcano Island!" "What?" Kirk exclaimed. "Volcano Island sunk years ago!" "It's back!" I cried. "Uh, well, I'll take you to Verdure, because I have to find the Island. Then I'll take you there." I sighed, scowled, and then caved in. "Oh, fine..." Kirk immediately took me back to Verdure Island. He must think I'm crazy by now, but those sunstones _must_ have worked...right?

I jumped off the boat and waved goodbye, checking my watch. 11:30. _Wow, it's only been an hour, _I thought, stumped. Shouldn't it have been longer?

"Oh well," I murmured, and then happily bounced a little as I made my way home. After all, I had a letter to write and a dog to visit!

• • •

_ Dear Timothy,_

_How are you? I hope this letter finds you well, also._

_By the way, my acquaintance that you met, the boy one, his name is Vaughn. Just in case you wanted to know. He's very...interesting._

_I named my new puppy Sean Jr, since I know how much you love dogs. I hope that's okay. I tied a blue bandana around his neck, and he reminds me of you...funny, right?_

_Tomorrow, my chicken coop will be done! I'm so happy! I also raised Volcano Island today, and maybe some new people will come because of that. Not that I don't have any friends, but still... The more the merrier! (As long as it's not as busy here as the city)_

_My potatoes grew in a week, and my turnips in five days. Is that even normal? _

_Bye for now!_

_Your friend,_

_Sam Pen_

I sighed as I finished writing the letter to Sean. It was short, but there really wasn't much to write about, because I _had_ just seen him yesterday.

It was around 6:00 PM now, so I'd have to give my letter to Chen to deliver tomorrow. Stretching, I realized how tired I was, and decided to go to bed, even though it was very early. I changed into a white t-shirt with big, blue spots, and slept in black sweat-shorts.

The next morning, I'm awakened by a big thumping noise on my door. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yelled, still a little drowsy. I swung open the door of my house, and saw Gannon standing there. "Hey, Gannon, my buddy, what's up?" I asked, stifling a yawn. "I'm done with your chicken coop. Go take a look, if you want to," Gannon gruffly stated. "Thanks!" I replied cheerfully, my good mood from yesterday restored.

I didn't really mean to slam the door on him, but my arm definitely closed it a little harder than I intended it to. "Whoops," I muttered.

Stretching, I grabbed my regular farming outfit, and headed into the bathroom to take a warm, refreshing shower. I towel dried my hair, and then changed into my clothes. Lastly, I tied my trusty bandana on.

Hopefully, I'll never have to part with my bandana. My father gave it to me, the day before he...didn't come back from work. The day he...left me for a very long time.

I put the bandana on, a little bit of depression nagging at me, but I quickly pushed it away. I didn't have to remember anything from my past now. It was too painful.

Now, I had a more cheerful matter to attend to. Because I had no crops, I ran out of the house, and started across the bridge to Verdure Island. I checked my watch: 8:30. **Eight-thirty?** I must have woken up later than I thought. But at least that means Mirabelle's shop will definitely be open! Time to get a chicken!

I barged into the shop, and yelled, "**MIRABELLE!**" When I noticed she wasn't at the counter. Then, I saw her bob up from under the counter. "Oh my, Chelsea, you shouldn't yell so loudly! I'm right here!" "Ha ha, sorry, but I'm super excited! I'm ready to buy my first chicken!" I explained breathlessly.

Suddenly, I heard a voice yell from the kitchen, "Is that Chelsea I hear?" It was Julia. She popped into the store area, and she continued. "And getting your first chicken, too? Awesome!" I smiled and nodded, still breathless from running here.

"Well, that's wonderful, Chelsea, but I can't just let you buy your first chicken! You know I'd give it to you for free!" Mirabelle cheerfully said. I pondered on that for a minute, and finally sighed, replying, "But Mirabelle, I can't just let you _give_ me a chicken. I have to buy it myself." "Hm," Mirabelle murmured. "Well, tell you what: How about you buy your first chicken, and I include a chick for free?" I gave in, saying, "Okay...if you're sure!" "Great, honey! I'll get Vaughn!" She rushed out of the room, and I smiled. Julia squealed, and I joined in, and then asked, "Wait, why are we squealing, exactly?" She laughed, and replied, "Because you're getting your first chicken and chick!" I nodded, and smiled. And then, something nagged me in the back of my mind. _"Great, honey! I'll get Vaughn! _Vaughn. I sighed, just at the thought of him.

"Hey, what's up?" A suddenly glum Julia asked. "Nothing," I replied, plastering a fake smile on my face that could probably fool anyone. "If you say so!" Julia said, shrugging.

Suddenly, I heard a quiet voice from the hall say, "Can't she pick out her own chicken?" It was Vaughn. I felt a little hurt, because I knew he was talking about me. Mirabelle sighed, and probably shoved him into the room, because it looked like he fell in here.

Vaughn straightened his hat, and the grunted, saying, "Come on." He led me to the back room. It was a stable/barn on one side, and then a little brick wall divided it, so the other side was a "chicken coop." There were no animals inside, however, so I raised an eyebrow at Vaughn. "Outside," He mumbled. "Oh," I replied. I almost jumped at the though of obtaining my first chick and chicken, but controlled my energy instead. I knew Vaughn probably wouldn't appreciate my excitement.

**Vaughn's POV-**

Ho-ly crap. Does fate hate me? _Why_ did Chelsea have to get her first chicken and chick today? On a Monday? Why not a Wednesday, or some other day I'm not here.

I guess this was partly Mirabelle's fault, too. But, still. Did Chelsea's field sprout wood randomly so that fate could toy with me? I guess so.

I tried not to offend her by avoiding her, after all, I just had to make the message clear that we couldn't be friends. We could talk, occasionally, but nothing more. Of course, somewhere in the back of my head, I knew I didn't want it to be anything less, either.

Reluctantly, I led Chelsea to the very back of the shop, outside, where we put all the animals on sunny days. I wondered if she even knew how to take care of animals. I mean, I know she has Sean Jr. now, but still...what about chickens?

Chelsea melted at the sight of the animals. "Oh my," She whispered in awe. She cautiously approached a calf, murmuring to it while she patted its head. I knew I should stop her, but for some reason, I held back. Something about the way her voice and movement changed made me sure it was okay. I strained to hear what Chelsea was saying. "Hi, honey," She murmured. "You are a very pretty calf, aren't you? Yes, I'm sure you will give lovely milk when you grow up." Chelsea stroked its ears softly, and the cow mooed in content. Softly giggling, Chelsea walked to stand in the middle of the animals. That's when she saw one of the horses we had.

Her eyes widened, and she approached it slowly. Because Chelsea was walking up to it from behind, she touched the horse until it could see where she was.

The horse was a black Arabian female, with a white star on her head, and white stockings. Even I had to admit she was beautiful.

"Oh my," Chelsea murmured. "You are so gorgeous..." I could've sworn I saw a tear slide down Chelsea's face, but she wiped her hand across her cheek so fast I couldn't tell. Chelsea continued to stroke the horse's mane with a distant look on her face, and I hated to tear her away, but I finally cleared my throat. "S-Sorry," Chelsea stuttered.

She walked over to where all the chickens were. I went over to join her. "You seem very good with animals, Chelsea," I couldn't help it. My curiosity got the best of me, and the words sort of spilled out of my mouth. "Yes," She almost whispered. "I love them. They're a little more reliable than humans, as they can't really hurt you much." My eyes grew wide, and I was stricken that she knew why I loved them, also.

Chelsea continued to observe the chickens, until her gaze rested on one of them who was clucking around and almost looked _happy, _if that's possible. "I'd like that chicken," Chelsea said, that distant look still in her eyes. "And that chick, please." There was one little chick that was exploring by the sheep I hadn't noticed, and it seemed to be the one Chelsea wanted. I picked up the chick, while Chelsea gently grabbed the chicken.

We silently walked back to Mirabelle's shop, and Chelsea _still _had that distant look on her face. I wondered why, but chose not to ask.

"Ah, there you are!" Mirabelle exclaimed when we came back. "I see you found a chick and chicken." Chelsea's head snapped up when Mirabelle talked, and I saw her shake her head. The distant look was now gone. "Yup," She replied. "And they are both perfect. Well, in my eyes." She giggled, gently stroking the chicken's head.

Chelsea asked Julia to hold her Chicken while she paid. I noticed she bought some chicken feed, too, and after that, she took the chicken back. I was still holding onto the chick, when Mirabelle said, "Vaughn, how about you help Chelsea take her new chickens back and chicken feed to her coop. Julia and I still have a little work to do here." Ho-ly crap. Fate, do you hate me? Great, I hate you, too.

Stifling a groan, I reluctantly nodded. I saw the corners of Chelsea's mouth turn into a half smile. She was pretty cute when she did that. But I have to stop thinking like that, or else I'll never be able to do this whole avoiding thing.

**Chelsea's POV-**

As Vaughn and I walked back to my ranch, I tried to think of names for my new chickens, but something kept distracting me. Where had I seen that black Arabian horse before? Or, at least, where had I seen a horse like it?

And then, when the chicken I was holding clucked, it hit me:

_I giggled. "Daddy, can I milk the cow?" "Sure, sweetie," My real dad replied. _

The memory was from when I was four, so fifteen years ago. I can't believe I couldn't remember this!

Remember how on the boat, I said I didn't have any experience ranching? Now I remember and I was wrong. I was born on a ranch, and it was so long ago, the thought is now all the way in the back of my head.

My father owned three cows, five chickens, and our two horses, Shadow and Sunny. Shadow was a male Arabian black horse that looks exactly like the one Mirabelle had.

"_Daddy, when I get a cow, I wanna name it Bessie, too!" I exclaimed while milking Bessie. My father laughed, and I continued. "My first chicken will be McNugget, and my horse will be Dawn." My father smiled his old, kind smile at me, and I giggled for no reason at all. _

Oh gosh, how did I forget? **How the heck did I forget? **

I gasped without realizing it, and stopped in my tracks while remembering the flash back. Vaughn stopped also, and stared at me with a concerned look in his eyes. When I didn't respond to his constant, "Chelsea? Chelsea?" He snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I shuddered a little, coming out of my trance. "S-Sorry," I stuttered. He grunted in reply.

We continued to walk, when he finally asked, "So, what are you going to name them?" "The chicken will be McNugget," I stated confidently, remembering my promise to myself when I was four. "McNugget?" Vaughn questioned. "Yup," I replied. "Uh, are you sure? What about Poppy, or Daisy or something girly?" "Fine," I snapped. "Poppy McNugget will be her full name, but _I'm _calling her McNugget." Vaughn shrugged, and then asked, "The chick?" "Hm, I don't know..." I replied, trailing off. I don't know what I said I'd call my _second_ chicken.

Finally, we reached my coop. Vaughn gently put down the little chick, while I set down McNugget. The chick started to pull at something in the ground, and I realized it was a worm. "That's a pretty strong chick," Vaughn commented. It then hit me. "Buffy," I stated. Vaughn raised an eyebrow at me, and I explained, "Buffy is the chick's name. Buffy...the Worm Slayer!" I giggled, and Vaughn rolled his eyes. "You sure pick weird names," He muttered. "Hey, shut up," I replied playfully. "Sean Jr, Buffy, and McNugget are awesome names!" Vaughn simply shrugged and then, with a small tip of his hat, left.

I was left alone with McNugget and Buffy. I grabbed some chicken feed from the dispenser, and put it in their feeders. Memories of how to take care of animals slowly came back to me now.

"_Don't leave them out after six," My dad said in one scene. "Wild dogs come out." _

"_Chickens loved to be cuddled, and they're great listeners, too!" He said in another._

_And last but not least, "Make sure you feed them everyday, or else they could get sick. And always, always, __**always, **__close the coop door when you leave."_

I cuddled McNugget and Buffy equally, talking softly to them about my past life a little, how I'd come up with their names, that kind of stuff. I know they can't understand me, but it feels so...right.

Carefully closing the chicken coop door, I breathed in a long, long breath of fresh air, and started the rest of my day.

• • •

**Okay, I fixed the "Time Separator" things for you guys! They are now the • • • symbol. Anyway, did you like this chapter? Next chapter, a certain blond we all know, and maybe hate, of ours is coming to town! Any guesses? MU HA HA HA! More drama to come! Please review! Oh yeah, sorry for my kinda descriptive horse language... Black Arabian Females...You can look it up on google images. They are much leaner and slimmer that quarter horses, a very common breed... SORRY, you probably don't care, LOL! :) If you can't tell, I LOVE horses.  
**


	9. Chapter 8: Rivalries and Memories

**Man, I can't believe we're at chapter eight already! That's crazy! **

**Hm...I wonder what will happen in this chapter? HA HA HA, I already know! I NEED to thank thygreenthing, because she has literally gone around "advertising" Refresh Button in her story...SO, GO READ HER STUFF! :) Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: Rivalries and Memories**

**Chelsea's POV-**

I checked my watch. 10:00. After a small breakfast of five green herbs (I'm a little bit low on money...) and giving Sean Jr. some breakfast, I'm now crossing the bridge to Verdure Island, almost skipping, because I can remember almost everything about the old ranch. Maybe that's why I caught on to this whole farming thing so quickly...

When I made it to Verdure Island, I pondered about what I would do for the rest of the day. Maybe I'd go visit Natalie, or even Sabrina. I'd like to get to know her a little better.

Suddenly, I heard a new voice call from behind me, "I bid you greetings! Oh, let me get off my horse, first..." The voice had a British accent, and sounded strangely familiar...

I turned around to see a blond haired boy with bright blue eyes hop off a beautiful white quarter horse. I stared in awe at the horse, it looked exactly like Sunny.

"Oh, I've been ever so busy today! You are a resident of the beautiful islands as well? My name is William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alnwick Plymouth Junior Regison III." I stared with a wide eyes and a huge, open mouth at the blond boy. "Quite a mouthful, isn't it? Worry not, you may call me Will."

"Hello, Will," I replied. "My name is Chelsea. I'm the rancher here on the islands." "Chelsea, I see. A delightful name, befitting a fair maiden such as you. Father has told me to see the world! So I've been traveling this way and that. These islands suit me well. I should think I shall be staying for a spell. As fate would have it, a relative of mine lives here. Regis is my Uncle," The blond British boy explained. "Cool, so Sabrina must be your cousin!" I realized. He nodded.

"I see you have a hint of a British accent as well, my lady. Do you come from England?" Will asked. "Well, my Grandmother was born in London," I explained. "And she gave some of the accent to me, because I was so used to how she and my dad talked. It seems to have...stayed with me. I would visit London a lot when I was little."

This was true. I hadn't told anyone on the islands yet, though. My Grandmother was born in London, and my father and mother would sometimes visit her and grandpa for a month in the year.

"Ah, I was born in London!" Will exclaimed. "A beautiful place, is it not? Many fine things to do there."

And _that _is when it hit me.

When we would go visit Grandma and Grandpa, and I remember I lived next to a little boy around my age, who lived in a palace of some sorts. His name was...William?

"**HOLY COW!**" I squealed. "W-W-William? As in, William Regison III?" I pointed at him, and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, it's you, it's you, it's _you_!" I jumped up and down, and Will stared at me, probably thinking I was crazy. "Have we met?" He asked. I nodded, and mumbled, "Uh, lemme see here..._This_ will make you remember!"

From my rucksack, I pulled out a small fragment of a sapphire from the back pocket. I always carried around with me, because it was my good luck stone. "William," who apparently went by "Will" now, had given it to me. He said he split it in half so that he could keep one, and I would keep the other, and we'd always remember the countless days when we would go recklessly play around in London.

Will's eyes grew wide, and I smiled. He put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out the other half of the sapphire stone. I smiled even wider now, if that was possible. "You kept it," I breathed. "Ch-Chelsea?" He stuttered. "Chelsea Hunter?" I nodded.

Will picked me up into a monster hug, swinging me around. We both laughed, and when he put me down, he exclaimed, "My, it's been too long, Chelsea! Why did a wonderful maiden such as yourself stop writing me letters though?" I almost cried, but managed to keep it together at that comment. "My father died...my mother remarried, and my step father...doesn't like me writing letters, and, he's um...I'll explain better another time, okay? What about you? What's been going on with you?" "Well," Will started. "My father finally gained his place on the throne, so I'm actually a prince now." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "Oh, Will, that's wonderful!" I cried. "You must be so happy." "Oh, not quite, dear Chelsea..." Will said sadly. "Being a Prince takes up an immense amount of my time. I was only just allowed to see the world. Father wanted me to. He finally convinced my teachers it was for the best." "Oh," I replied. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry." "Well, enough dreary chatter!" Will exclaimed. "How about I treat you to lunch around twelve, at the diner on Verdure Island? Then we can catch up, but for now, I must dash. More people to meet!"

I giggled a little, and waved good-bye, my heart leaping for joy.

Will rode off on his beautiful white horse, and I grinned from ear to ear. I can't believe, of all places, Will was here! I remember the countless days we would spend, running through the roads of London, randomly talking to people Will knew. It was when I was around six, and he was seven. It was true, we started to write letters when I was nine and he was ten, and then dad died...and I just stopped. It was too much, having to still deal with him being dead while trying to be happy. And when my mom married Brian...it was even worse, and I almost completely forgot about Will until now.

Happy to know I now have one more friend, I think I'll go visit Sabrina, and then Denny, to ask for some tips on fishing. And after that, I'll have some lunch with Will.

And for a while, my mind has almost completely forgotten Vaughn.

**Almost.**

**Vaughn's POV-**

That idiot blond came over to Mirabelle's today. He introduced himself as William Terry Louis something something something, and told us to call him Will.

Julia was blushing the whole time he was here. Stupid idiot, thinks he can come in and sweep any girl he likes off her feet.

Wrong.

Because I'm sure Chelsea doesn't like that type of guy. She doesn't seem like that type of girl.

Well, apparently, I'm wrong, because I just saw that blond idiot hug Chelsea, and spin her around. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't watching on purpose or anything, I just happened to see them hugging.

Who does he think he is, giving Chelsea a hug, right after he met her? And she was _willing,_ too? And _why _am I still thinking about this? Stupid, stupid, stupid brain...stop, please.

All these thoughts are going through my head as I finish the work Mirabelle assigned me to do. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I need to protect Chelsea from those types of people, not avoid her.

But we all know where that would get me.

I know exactly what Will is like. Lucy used to have a "friend" exactly like him. Blond, blue eyes, friendly on the outside, evil on the inside. A backstabber, someone you can't trust at all. Lucy cried one night over Will. Or, at least someone like him.

Eventually, after I was done with all the paperwork I had filled out for Mirabelle, I left the shop, ready to go take a walk on the beach. That always clears my thoughts.

• • •

I eventually made it to the beach, but who other would be there than Chelsea, sitting on the dock with Denny, fishing. Fate, I don't just hate you...I hate you with every fiber of my being!

_Just ignore her, _my conscious thought. _You can still clear your head, meditate a little, and cool down. It doesn't matter that she's there. She probably won't even notice you. _

The stiff, gruff side of me agreed for once with the reasoning side. Weird.

I pulled of my socks and boots, chucking them somewhere behind me, rolled my pant legs up, and walked into the cold ocean until the water was up to my knees. It felt _so _good.

From my right, I could hear Chelsea laughing at something. I tried really hard to ignore it, but I couldn't help not looking over to where she was. It was only about six feet away, anyway. Denny was in the water, sputtering, and I heard Chelsea laugh, "You show off! You should've known that fish was too strong!" Denny laughed too, and then I saw his lips move, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. Chelsea reached out a hand and helped him up. Or, at least, that's what she _thought_ she was doing. Instead, Denny pulled her in the deep waters of the ocean. And she didn't reappear five seconds later.

"Crap," I muttered, and immediately threw my hat and torso stuff to the shore. Do I _seriously_ have to do this _again?_ "Denny, you idiot!" I yelled as I swam over as fast as I could. "What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

Just before diving down to save Chelsea, I explained. "She can't swim!"

The salt water stung my eyes as I desperately searched for Chelsea. I guess she's _lucky_ that I'm here, instead of how I thought I would be putting her in danger.

Finally, I spotted her, a few feet away from where Denny pulled her in. She was making an attempt to get to the surface this time, at least, but when she didn't notice me until I grabbed her arm.

Then, Chelsea looked at me with the most heartbreaking look in the world. I couldn't tell if it was thankfulness, humor, or both, but it almost made me melt.

Freezing for a second, I suddenly realized I had to get her up to the surface, because she was losing air, and I could tell. I reluctantly grabbed her, and pushed off the sea floor.

We finally broke the surface, both of us gasping for air. Chelsea was clutching onto my arm so hard I could've sworn it should have lost circulation, but fortunately I could still move it. Chelsea was coughing like crazy, but I was just gasping for air.

We swam to the shore, where Denny was standing, and as soon as we were on dry ground, Chelsea plopped onto the sand, and laughed. The kind of laugh you get after almost dying.

Then, she said, "Thanks, Vaughn. I owe you even_ more _now. I guess Sean Jr. will have to save you twice." She laughed, and I almost half-smiled.

Almost.

I nodded at her abruptly, and then walked back over to where my clothes are. Well, that was overwhelming. I think I'm going to need a nap.

**Chelsea's POV-**

Crap. Vaughn saved me _again?_ That was crazy...but I probably should've told Denny I can't swim _before_ we went fishing. Heh...oops.

Well, I immediately went home after to change into the same outfit, only it was dry, thankfully. Then I went to go eat lunch with Will.

It was wonderful. We talked _so_ much. One of my favorite parts was when we started talking about the names of my two chickens...Buffy the Worm Slayer and Poppy McNugget. Unlike _someone_ I know, Will loved the names and thought they were very "humorous."

We talked for two hours straight. _Two. _I realized how many fun times Will and I had together, and we laughed a _lot. _I'm happier than I've been for a while now.

It's now two-thirty. Fortunately, Will paid for the meal at the Diner, even though I begged him not to. I feel like I should pay for myself, but I _do_ only have about a thousand dollars left, and I have to start paying for chicken feed now.

I decided I would walk over to Julia's house for a little chat, instead of Natalie, just because I could maybe thank Vaughn while I was there. After all, he _did_ save my life for a second time. I owe him. A lot.

I opened the door to the Animal Shop, and immediately smelled something burning. Julia must be cooking. "Hello, Chelsea!" Mirabelle exclaimed. "What can I do for you today?" "Mirabelle," I giggled. "You've really got to stop doing that. I was here only a few hours ago." "I know," Mirabelle sighed. "It seems so regular though." She laughed, and then I started, "Uh, do you know where Julia is?" "I'm in here, Chelsea!" I heard Julia shout from the kitchen.

I smiled at Mirabelle, and then left to find Julia. She was standing at the oven, reading something. I peered over her shoulder, and saw a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. She was glaring at it, and I heard her mutter, "I _will_ conquer you, cookies!" I giggled, and she whipped around. "Oh, Chelsea, hi!" She cried. She tried to plaster a smile on her face, but it didn't work. I could tell she was troubled by something. "What's up, Julia?" I asked, frowning. "See, well, um, Mom wants me to learn to cook, so I was planning on making cookies for the new guy, Will...but the first batch didn't turn out so great." "So _that's_ what I smell!" I giggled, but Julia pouted. "Well, if you really want to please Will, I suggest making him mug cake." "How do you know that?" Julia asked. "Long story short, Will and I knew each other before he came to the islands, and I remember him saying once that he _loves_ chocolate mug cakes," I explained. "Cool!" Julia exclaimed. "Can you help me?" I giggled, and nodded. "It's not that hard, but I'll make one, too."

Thankfully, I remembered the recipe from a long time ago. I would make it at home a lot. Mirabelle also had all the right ingredients, so that was good.

When Julia and I finished washing our hands, I said, "Okay, first off, we mix the cake flour, the sugar, and the baking cocoa in the mugs...then, crack the egg, careful not to get any shells!" I cracked my egg, satisfied when I saw no shells in the mix. Thankfully, Julia was very careful, and didn't get any eggshells, either. "Next we add the milk and oil, and then stir again..." "There's a lot of stirring, isn't there?" Julia asked. I nodded, and smiled. "Finally, the chocolate chips and vanilla essence...and then they simply go in the microwave for three minutes at one thousand watts." Julia stared at me wide eyed, and I asked, "What?" "Microwave?" Julia cried. "You can cook in a microwave?" I laughed. "Oh, Julia, you have so much to learn..."

Sure enough, after three minutes, the mug cakes were done. Julia beamed proudly, and I said, "You should probably go take that to Will right away. He likes to eat them when they are warm." She smiled, but before taking off, I quietly asked her, "Julia, which room is Vaughn's?" She smiled, and replied, "Down the hallway, second door on the left." "Thanks," I mumbled, a little embarrassed. But it _was_ a pretty good way to thank him, even though we weren't completely even.

I pulled a sticky note off of Mirabelle's fridge when Julia left, and jotted down with a pen on their table, "Thanks a bunch. I really need to learn to swim."

Sticking the note on the coffee mug, I quietly carried the mug to Vaughn's room, and knocked. No reply. I figured he wasn't inside, so I opened the door, and saw him sleeping on his bed. I stifled a giggle. He was still soaked to the skin. I guess saving someone really does take up a lot of energy.

I placed the mug on his bedstead, and quietly walked out of the room.

**Aww, that's so sweet of Chelsea, don't you think? By the way, that is a real recipe, and it's super yummy. :) Just search "Personal Chocolate Cake" online and maybe you'll find it. **

**Yes, I **_**know**_** that in Harvest Moon Will's favorite gift is not Mug Cake, even though it's delicious...I put it in there for fun. I needed something to kind of wrap up the chapter. Hope you liked it!**

**Hm, there was something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember...Maybe it will come to me later!**

**P.S. This early update was dedicated to my reviewers. :) I meant to do it tomorrow, but you guys motivate me so much!**


	10. Chapter 9: Mistakes and Rock Climbing

**Hey everyone! Hope you like the story so far...I've been working hard to update moderately fast. I've also started a new Doctor Who story, but it might be discontinued because it's giving me massive headaches. Heh Heh, writer's block does that to you. **

_**Anyway, **_**I bet you're all wondering what will happen with Chelsea, Vaughn, and now WILL! AH! He he he, only I know! R&R! ENJOY!**

**Chapter 9: Mistakes and Rock Climbing**

**Chelsea's POV-**

It's the first of summer now, so it's been about three or four weeks since I last gave Vaughn the mug cake. Mondays and Tuesdays were always nice, because I would get to see Vaughn. But lately, for some reason, he's been avoiding me. I barely get to talk to him, but I try very hard.

Sean Jr. has grown very well, and I just took the bandage off of his paw yesterday, because he doesn't limp anymore. The _real _Sean and I have been writing letters, and everything is going well. Brian has actually been in a _good _mood lately, according to Sean.

I got second place in the crop festival, which was awesome! I plan on keeping the wonderful pieces I won for a while so maybe I can get seven to build a wonderful.

Buffy gave me her first egg as a chicken last week, and I've been getting a steady profit at the same time from McNugget's eggs. I currently have ninety-seven pieces of wood and five thousand dollars, and am saving up for a barn. I planted my first tomato and corn plants today, and it's bright and sunny out today.

I've become pretty good friends with Mirabelle, also, because of visiting Julia so much. The same goes for Felicia because of visiting Natalie. They both gave me sunstones, and Taro gave me one, too, after giving him some stuff I foraged for a few days. I'm working on raising Mystic Island, so I've got a pretty long way to go.

A lot of the time, when I'm not busy, Julia, Natalie, and I will go for lunch and have a nice chat, or take a walk on Meadow Island. And as for Will, I've been having dinner with him sometimes, and we often go on walks. Yesterday, which was a Sunday, he took me to Volcano Island to try mining, and that was lots of fun. Will found me a sunstone, and Regis also gave me one two days after raising Volcano Island. He likes me more now that I chose to raise that island first. Which, of course, means I'm safe for now and he won't suck my blood. But you never know...

Gannon gave me a sunstone, too, the same with Eliza, who I've been giving plenty of flowers to. So I now currently have seven sunstones, which means only five more until I raise Mystic Island. Whoo hoo!

Now, I'm walking to Verdure Island. It's super sunny and hot today, which is nice, but I'd like just a little breeze. I'm going to have lunch with just Natalie today around eleven thirty, so I decided I would visit Julia and Mirabelle. It's about nine o'clock right now. _Vaughn will be there, too,_ a little voice in my head whispered. I pushed that thought away. He wouldn't want anything to do with me, anyway.

Lately, I've been helping Julia a little bit with their animals, too, but only on days when Vaughn isn't there. Mirabelle tries to pay me, but I tell her I'm just getting some experience, and that the work is fun. I've only done it about three times, but I've learned something new each time. I'm also growing fonder and fonder of that black Arabian horse.

"Julia, Mirabelle!" I call into the Animal Shop. They are nowhere to be found. "Hm..." I murmur. "Maybe they are in the back?"

I opened the door that led to the back, but no animals were there, and neither were Mirabelle or Julia. I guessed they were probably outside with the animals.

My assumption was correct. Mirabelle, Julia, and Vaughn, were all outside. Vaughn was desperately trying to get a cow to budge, and was getting a little angry. I quietly giggled, and saw Julia, who was quietly talking to the white horse they owned had while brushing it. Mirabelle was spreading some feed around for the chickens when she noticed me. "Ah, hello Chelsea!" She exclaimed merrily. "Sorry, we got up a little late today and had to help the animals." "That's okay," I replied. "Can I help you?" "Sure!" Mirabelle said cheerfully. "Vaughn could use some help with getting all the cows together, so if you want to help him, that would be great!" I inwardly groaned. Here comes the cold looks and rolling of eyes. I plastered a fake smile on my face though, and replied, "Great!"

**Vaughn's POV-**

Ho-ly crap fate, I'm done with you. You suck.

Seriously? Mirabelle just had to ask Chelsea to help _me?_ Why not Julia?

But I can't help but feel a little happy when she comes over to help. Her blue eyes and her smile, fake or not, always seems to get me in a better mood. "Hi, Vaughn," She said quietly. I grunt in response. "So, what should I do?" She asked. "Help me get this cow calmed down. Then we'll move it. She seems to be a little jittery this morning." Chelsea nodded, and while I patted the cow reassuringly, she started to stroke its velvet ears and speak softly to it. "Hey, I recognize you!" She says. "You're the first cow I met here! Are you a little jittery today? Yeah, me too. I feel like something good will happen. Oh, look at me, I probably sound like Felicia now. She always says that. Do you think-"Chelsea," I interrupted. "Can you please _shut up?_" She looked hurt, but I couldn't help it. Her constant blabbing really makes me want to talk to her, and I can't do that, remember?

We calm the cow down in silence now, and then begin to move her. I heard Mirabelle say, "Vaughn, the last thing that needs to be done is the Arabian needs to be brushed." "Oh, can I help?" Chelsea asked excitedly. I wondered why she was so enthusiastic, but then I remembered how she looked at the black horse that one day. Mirabelle nodded, and then she and Julia left.

Curiosity is nagging at me, so I give in. "Why do you like that horse so much?" I asked. "I thought I was supposed to shut up," Chelsea replied coolly. I rolled my eyes at her, and sighed.

"Vaughn, you're confusing," Chelsea suddenly blurted. I raised an eyebrow as we continued moving cows in one big group in the field. "One day, I feel like we're friends, because you save my life. That night, you confirm my assumption. The next day you save my life, again, and _then _you ignore me for the next three or four weeks. What is wrong with you?" I sighed again, and didn't respond. Chelsea stopped moving, and stated, "You vex me, Vaughn. I really don't like you." "Right back at you," I muttered. "Excuse me?" Chelsea exclaimed, eyes wide. "I said, right back at you, stupid excuse for a rancher!" I added that last part, my anger growing a little.

Chelsea approached me, and I didn't know what she was doing until she slapped me, and yelled, "You **JERK!"** My cheek was stinging, and I considered hitting her back, but then figured I deserved it. Instead, I fought back a little with words. "So that's how you treat someone who saved your life twice?" Chelsea glared at me, and then whipped around and stalked over to the Black Arabian horse. I followed, but she growled, "I can brush it myself." "I get paid for this, I have to help," I spat back.

We angrily brushed in silence, until I saw that Chelsea was crying. I stopped, and asked, "Why are you crying?" "I-I'm not...Fine. I'm crying because one: you suck, and I can't do anything about it, because you saved my life twice. Two: I really love this horse, and I feel bad for her because _you _have to take care of it. And three: I don't get why you hate me so much." I sighed, and quietly caved in, saying, "I don't hate you, Chelsea. I just don't want you getting hurt." She looked up at me; we were both on different sides of the horse. "Y-You don't hate me?" She asked. "Why would I get hurt if you didn't ignore me?" "I-I...I don't _want_ to ignore you. It's just...long story." I tried to explain, but got lost in countless memories of the people I had lost because they grew close to me.

Chelsea stared at me for a long time, and then whispered, "Being around you doesn't seem to hurt me. It saves me." I wondered if she was talking about me saving her life twice, or if she was talking about the double meaning behind those words. I guessed it was the first option. Does she even feel the feelings I do? The "double meaning?" The feeling when she's around me, like I can laugh and smile again? It saves _me _from being alone, from being afraid.

I didn't have a good reply, so I just looked her straight in the eye and said, "I'm sorry." Chelsea smiled sadly at me, and I couldn't help it. My heart shattered.

Maybe I _could _be around her? It does seem to protect her, and nothing has harmed her yet because of me. Maybe fate isn't trying to mess with me, but it's trying to show me how to be good again. How to laugh and smile, how to be with people, to be unafraid. So does that mean I _could _be friends with Chelsea? _Should _I be friends with Chelsea?

At that moment I decided I would try, because maybe on this island people are safe from my unluckiness, from my danger. Maybe it's possible that I _won't _hurt them.

"Let's do this one more time," I said, chuckling. This time, Chelsea gave me the confused look. I stuck my hand out, and stated, "Vaughn, the animal dealer." "Ch-Chelsea, the rancher," Chelsea replied. "Nice to meet you." We shook hands.

**Chelsea's POV-**

"I'm sorry, Chelsea," Vaughn murmured. "I made a mistake." "Hey, remember, we started over...again. You don't have to apologize. I get that it's personal. But let's try not to go for a third time." Vaughn gave me a small smile, and chuckled.

We continued brushing the horse, when suddenly, Vaughn said, "You never _did _answer my original question..." "Yeah? What was that?" I asked, confused. "Why _do _you like this horse so much?" "Long story," I replied. "But I feel a special connection to it, because I had a horse when I was little that looked exactly like her." Vaughn nodded, and I realized we were pretty much done. "Well, I guess I'll see you later..." I trailed off. He nodded again, and I turned away, beginning to walk back to the animal shop, until he asked, "Do you, uh, want to do something later?" I smiled, turned back around, and replied, "Come to my house around three, okay?" He nodded, and with that, I left the field.

• • •

"So, how's it going with Pierre?" I asked, sipping on some water. "Oh, ya know, the usual," Natalie started. "I'll give him a gift every once in a while, and then he'll, uh..." "What?" I pried, realizing Natalie had blushed. "Well, he did give me some curry the other day, and asked me to go find some ingredients with him. Is that big?" I nodded, smiling. "Very." "I know!" Natalie suddenly squealed, out of character for her. "I'm so happy. I feel like things are going well."

I continued to sip on some water, when Natalie asked, "So, what about you and Vaughn? Is he still ignoring you?" I shook my head, smiling a little. "He apologized today, and is coming by my house at three to do something." I checked the diner's clock, which said 2:45. "I have to go soon." "Really?" Natalie cried, her eyes wide. "That's great! But Vaughn? Saying sorry? Weird..." I giggled, and then nodded.

"By the way," Natalie began. "Gramps told me that there was an island, called Lighthouse Island, by your ranch that he forgot to tell you about the first day you were here. You just head north until you find this gigantic rock that looks kind of like a turtle. When you see it, turn west, and then just keep going until you eventually run into it. Gramps said it might be a good place to look for sunstones." I nodded, and replied, "Thanks!"

"Hey, I have to go," I eventually told Natalie after a little more chatting. "But this was really fun. Too bad Julia couldn't come." Natalie nodded, and waved, saying, "Bye! I'm going to stay here for a little bit and ask Halia about this soup, it's delicious!"

As soon as I was out of the diner, I bolted home. I checked my watch: 2:50! Crap, I have to get home!

I've decided to take Vaughn rock climbing on Volcano Island. The volcano there hasn't erupted for a really long time, according to Agete, and rock climbing is awesome! I've always loved climbing on trees and once when I was little, I climbed up the mountains in Sean's and my place. Plus, I think this could be super fun, since the volcano isn't _super _high, and who knows what we'll find at the top. I just hope Vaughn's okay with it.

Finally, I reach home, and it's 2:58. Wow, that took a lot longer than I thought it would. Of course, I _did _stop to talk to Eliza a little bit, because she was on the beach.

Rushing inside my house, I smoothed down my hair under my bandana a little, and caught my breath. After a minute of relaxing on my bed, there was a knock on the door.

Practically running to get it, I slipped, and made an "Oof," noise. Scrambling to get on my feet again, I opened the door.

Standing there was Vaughn, his purple eyes glowing, and a small smile on his face. "Hi," I said. "Hey," He replied. I giggled, and then walked outside. "So, what are we going to do?" I giggled again, and then asked, "By any chance, do you know how to rock climb?" His eyes widened, but Vaughn nodded, and my smile grew larger. "To Volcano Island, then!" I announced, running. "Race ya!" I heard Vaughn chuckle, and within seconds he was beside me, asking, "Are you sure it's safe to climb mountains up there?" "Who said we were climbing mountains?" I panted. "I'm talking volcanoes!" He chuckled again, and then replied, "If you say so." He ran further ahead, but I shouted, "Hey, no fair! You have longer legs!" I tried to catch up as we both sprinted to Kirk's boat.

• • •

"You...only...won cause...you have...longer...legs..." I panted as we arrived at Volcano Island. Vaughn chuckled a little, and then replied, "Sure." As we approached the Volcano, Vaughn asked, "Are you sure this is safe?" I paused before replying. "No...but it will...be fun! And we're not going to...go anywhere near the actual top...of the volcano, where the lava is. We'll find a ledge...to sit on." My words were broken apart because of my much-needed ragged breaths.

"Okay, as long as _you _take the blame if we die," Vaughn muttered dryly. I laughed at his tone and sarcasm. "Don't worry, we'll be fine! Just follow me!"

I _know _this is a stupid idea, trust me, but I'm just going to hope we don't get hurt, or worse, die.

As I began to climb the volcano, my spirits brightened, because there were lots of footholds in the volcano. Vaughn was following me, and I sped up a little, testing how good of a climber he was. He was soon right up next to me, and he said, "Race ya?" "Oh, I'll _so _win this time!" I exclaimed. "Ready, set...**GO!**" We both started to climb faster, but I was always a foothold ahead. I giggled for no reason, my hair whipping around my face. The corners of Vaughn's mouth twitched, and I wondered if he would show me a smile one day.

We climbed faster and faster, higher and higher, but Vaughn was gaining on me. I sped up my pace even more, if that was possible, but we were now neck and neck.

Suddenly, I heard some rocks slip, and a yell from Vaughn. He was falling! _**CRAP! **_I thought, and adrenaline kicked in. I quickly grabbed onto Vaughn's hand just as he was about to plummet to the bottom of the volcano. I let out a breath I realized I was holding, and Vaughn did, also. He found a foothold, and pulled himself up. "I call that as an automatic win," I said breathlessly. Vaughn smiled. _**YES! **_It was a very small one, but he smiled. "Yeah, thanks," Vaughn replied. "No more racing?" he continued. I nodded, and I looked up. "There's a ledge! Come on, let's go!"

We continued to climb until reaching the ledge. He got up there first, and then helped me get up. My heart raced a little when he grabbed my hand.

"Wow," I breathed once I was sitting on the large ledge with him. The view was very pretty, and the sun was setting. I checked my watch: 5:45 _Holy cow, it's been three hours? _I giggled, and threw my head back. "This is awesome," I said. Vaughn grunted and nodded.

After a few moments, I laughed, and then exclaimed, "Hey, this means that we're halfway even!" Vaughn raised an eyebrow at me, and I explained. "I saved your life once." He nodded, and once again, murmured, "Thanks." "No problem," I replied, smiling softly at him.

We sat in silence for a while, legs out, both of us leaning back on our hands, which, by the way, were very close to touching. "Thanks," He suddenly murmured, once _again. _"Stop saying thank you!" I giggled, and playfully pushed him a little. "No, not about saving my life, though I _am _very grateful for that. I'm saying thanks for...being a friend today. And for forgiving me so quickly after I was terribly rude to you these past few weeks. I don't know how I'll make it up to you." I looked him straight in the eye, and replied, "I get it Vaughn. For a very long time, I didn't want to be anyone's friend after...well, something bad happened to me. I wish you could understand." "I wish I could, too," He murmured. I don't think I was supposed to hear that. "You could tell me." He said this a little louder.

Can I? Can I really tell this gruff, rude, ignorant cowboy about my past? But he's not just _any_ gruff, rude, ignorant cowboy. He's also warm on the inside, strong, good with animals, and my _friend. _

And suddenly, I was blurting out my life to this crazy cowboy.

"It all starts when I was born, obviously," I started, explaining about my childhood on the ranch, leaving out lots of details, including knowing Will, the chicken names, and anything else that was personal, like memories. "And then, after a while of living in the city, dad died..." I continued, and a tear streaked down my cheek. "One of my mom's co-workers was always there for her, and they became close. They began to date about a year later, and then got married a while later. It started out okay. Brian, my step-dad, was nice enough, always paying more attention to mom than to my brother and I. Then, as the years went by, he began to only want money. We grew rich, but he grew selfish. My friend you met that one day in the city, Sean, was my butler, and he was always there, but...then, Brian started to punish my brother and I if we did something wrong. Punishment turned to practically abuse, and Brian became almost evil." I was shuddering by now, my voice was cracking, tears streaming down my cheek.

"And then," I continued. "I ran away. I told Sean and mom I was leaving, of course, but it was very abrupt, and I just...left."

Vaughn and I were silent for a long time, besides my quiet crying and shuddering. Suddenly, Vaughn slid and arm around my shoulder, and he whispered, "I'm so sorry." His voice and touch calmed me a little, and he asked, "Would you like to hear my story?" "Later," I whispered. He nodded.

We sat like that for a very long time, watching the sunset. It was very peaceful, and something had been lifted off of my shoulders. I'm glad I was able to tell someone about my past.

"Please don't tell anyone, especially Julia," I suddenly said at one point, sniffling. He looked me straight in the eye, and replied, "Never, Chelsea. Never." "We should, um, probably get back..." I trailed off, and Vaughn nodded. We climbed down the volcano quickly, and walked slowly to the boat. Somehow, Kirk was still there. I felt like he was a stalker. "Harvest Sprite," I muttered. "Hm?" Vaughn asked. "Nothing," I replied, giggling a little as the last glimpse of the sun disappeared.

• • •

**Aw...YAY FOR VAUGHNXCHELSEA! Ha ha ha, sorry the update took a little longer than I thought. I didn't get to type **_**at all **_**yesterday. So, I hope this chapter was good. Personally, it made my heart melt a little. I was gonna say something...Ugh, I keep forgetting! Sorry if some stuff was weird in this chapter. I was kind of writing what I felt like writing, and I knew I had to have Chelsea save Vaughn's life at least once to fit the plot line, and the whole rock climbing thing actually came to me while I was writing, and I thought, "PERFECT!" So, did you like it? Review, please! Next chapter...a little Will, Vaughn, and Chelsea drama, along with some drama having to deal with Chelsea's past. **


	11. Chapter 10: Horse Trail Troubles

**AH! A new chapter of Refresh Button! WHOO HOO! Sorry, there was **_**terrible **_**Internet connection where I was. So, I couldn't update. OH, and if you haven't noticed yet, I have put some of myself into Chelsea by making her a horse lover, just like me. You'll see what I mean in this chapter. Oh yeah, and I know that in SI/IOH, there are no Horse Trails, and you can't even ride your horse, which sucks, but this is a fanfic, so I will do what I like. ;) I'm veering away from the game plot quite a bit.**

**This chapter is also dedicated to thygreenthing, because she is so awesome! :) And because she gives me rainbow sprinkles. :P Yum. ENJOY! (Sorry for the long A/N)**

**Chapter 10: Horse Trail Troubles**

**Vaughn's POV-**

Once Chelsea was heading back to her ranch, I ran back to the Animal Shop. I can't believe everything that happened today. I'm still not sure if this whole "second chance" thing is going to work with fate, but I'm going to try.

Chelsea keeps telling me not to worry about how I ignored her, but how can I not? I feel really guilty, which is surprising, because I barely ever feel guilty about anything. It comes with being an anti-social cowboy. Or, at least, a selfless cowboy who cares about the people around him so much that he avoids them so they don't get hurt because of him and that causes him to _be _anti-social.

I barged into the Animal Shop to find Julia and Mirabelle sitting by the counter talking. But that doesn't stop Julia from excitedly saying, "Hi, Vaughn!" to me. I tip my hat in reply, and begin to walk away, when Mirabelle says, "Vaughn, we could use some help on this." I turn on my heels and walk back towards the counter. "Yeah?" I ask, prompting her to go on. "Well, first of all," Mirabelle began. "I heard some yelling in the back today. Did everything go okay with Chelsea?" I sighed, and nodded. "We had a small argument. Nothing too terrible." Mirabelle simply nodded.

"Well, anyway, Mom and I were thinking about giving Chelsea a horse, since she's a great friend and rancher, but we don't know which one to give her," Julia explained. "We were thinking the white one, because it's the most broken in, and it won't have any troubles switching over to Chelsea's commands." I shook my head immediately, and cut in. "No. Give her the black horse." "The black one?" Mirabelle asked, astonished. "But she's very frisky, and hardly broken in! What makes you think Chelsea would want the black one?" I couldn't find any other way to explain, except, "We're friends." So I said it quietly, and my cheeks turned light pink.

Mirabelle's eyes widened, but she still smiled softly, and said, "Okay then, if you're completely sure..." I nodded. Julia was grinning from ear to ear, and she nodded. I tipped my hat once more, and then left for my guest room, not bothering to eat any dinner before I went to bed.

• • •

**Chelsea's POV-**

The next morning, I was awakened by a loud knock on my door. I stretched, and then yelled, "Just a minute!" Running a few fingers through my hair, I sleepily yawned and walked to the front door.

Opening it, I saw Mirabelle standing there, in her usual clothes, with a big smile on her face. I immediately brightened, and cried, "Hi, Mirabelle!" "Good morning, Chelsea," She replied. "Julia, Vaughn, and I decided last night that since you've been such a great rancher, and a friend, for that matter, that we were going to give you one of our horses." My jaw dropped, and my eyes grew the size of the moon. "Are you _serious?_" I asked. Mirabelle laughed, and nodded. "Vaughn thought you would like the black horse the most, so we decided to give you that one. Julia's putting her in your stable right now." "Vaughn," I whispered. Mirabelle didn't hear, and then I said, "Wow...I don't know how to say thank you." "That's okay, dear," Mirabelle laughed. "Unfortunately, we don't have any saddles in stock right now, and the horse isn't trained properly yet, anyway." "It's all right," I replied. "I always rode bareback anyways, and training the horse shouldn't be a problem." Mirabelle's eye widened, and she asked, "You used to ride horses?" I nodded. "Yup. A _long _time ago, but it was one of my favorite things to do."

Mirabelle smiled, and then cried, "Oh yes! Julia said she wanted to talk to you before she left. She's in your stable, I think." "Thanks," I replied. "See you!"

Without another word, I skipped off to my stable. "**JULIA!**" I cried. Julia turned around, since she was facing the wall, and ran towards me. We hugged, and I exclaimed, "Thank you _so _much!" "No problem!" Julia replied, hugging me tightly. "Do you know any good horse trails around here?" I asked her excitedly. "Yeah," Julia started. "I found a secret one the other day. You know how everyone _thinks_ the island stops after that 'border' of trees around the place?" I nod. "Well, I discovered that behind Pierre's house, there's this tiny break in the trees, just big enough for a horse to fit through, and I think it's a really old horse trail. I haven't explored it yet, but I was thinking about doing it today..." Suddenly, she gasped. "Wanna come, too?" "YES!" I exclaimed. "You always know what I'm thinking, Julia." I smiled. "Great," Julia replied. "Come to my house around, oh, eleven? It's eight right now!" I nodded. "Okay, I have to go, sorry! By the way, we didn't have a saddle in stock, but we _do _have some reins, and a bridle, so I hooked up your horse, in case you wanted to take it out riding sometime."

Julia began to walk toward the stable door, when suddenly, she said while giggling, "And it looks like this whole Chelsea and Vaughn thing is back on again, huh?" With that, Julia left.

My face burned a little, but I ignored the comment, and slowly approached my new horse. "Hi, hun," I murmured. "Well, Dawn, I suppose. Yes, that fits you." I giggled softly, and stroked Dawn's mane. She neighed loudly, and I smiled. "I can tell we're gonna be great friends."

After a little while of talking to Dawn and stoking her mane, I found that Julia had left some horse feed, and fed her. Then, I left the stable.

I checked my watch: 8:13 My schedule for the day: Water crops. Play with Sean Jr. a little. Take a shower. Eat some breakfast, and then go to Lighthouse Island to search for some sunstones. Check in with Chen to see if I have any mail from Sean, and then hopefully it will be eleven, so I can go explore the horse trail with Julia.

While thinking of all of this, I watered my crops. They seemed to be coming along okay, because this _was_ only my second day of planting them.

After watering my crops, I ran inside my house, only to be greeted by a very happy Sean Jr. "Hi, buddy!" I said in my most excited "doggy voice." "Are you a happy puppy? Yes you are! Want some breakfast?" I pulled his dog food out from under my table, where I usually kept it, and put some in a bowl. It amazed me how big his mouth was, and how he was able to almost _inhale _the food. I giggled when he was all done licking his lips. "Good boy," I praised, and then we practiced some of his basic tricks: Sit, and lie down. They were actually coming around quite nicely. After that, I went to the bathroom, ready to take a nice, long shower, and then get on with the rest of my morning.

• • •

_Dear Samantha,_

_How are you? I am fine. Ash has fallen ill again, unfortunately, but at least we have medicine this time._

_Brian has come back to some of his darker days, and the other day he was muttering about you. I don't think he knows where you are, but still, please be careful._

_Your mother has been doing well, helping the maids with their work. She still doesn't leave the house enough, though. _

_I still go to "Rush Hour" to eat when I get the time. I wish you were here._

_Sorry for the short letter, there isn't much to say,_

_Timothy_

I frowned when I was finished reading the letter again. Poor Ash.

I checked my watch: 10:58 I put the letter in my rucksack, and then continued to lead Dawn over to a nearby tree. "Stay," I murmured. "I'll be right back."

I walked slowly away from Dawn, who now began to graze on nearby grass. Then, I knocked on Julia's door. "Coming!" She called from inside. The door swung open. "Hi, Chelsea! I'm almost ready, how about you come inside for a second?" I shook my head. "Sorry, I want to watch Dawn. She isn't hooked up or anything." "You rode her over?" Julia asked. I nodded. "What did you expect me to do?" "Lead her," Julia replied. "Do you ride horses?" "Yup," I said, emphasizing the "p." "Bareback, too. This might sound weird, but Dawn is actually incredibly comfy! And her trot is beautiful, and much less bumpy than what I'm used to. But that might just be because I'm posting..." Julia stared, wide-eyed, at me, and asked, "You got her to trot? And _swiftly, _too?" I became puzzled, and nodded stiffly. "Man, Chelsea, you're amazing!" Was all Julia said. I laughed. "Okay, I'll be out in a sec!" Julia sang, skipping away.

(**A/N: **Yes, it _is _possible to post while riding bareback. It's actually kind of fun! :) You just tense your legs and stand, but don't squeeze...Wait, you don't care, LOL. Along with the story!)

I walked back to Dawn, and stroked her mane silently. I think she's happy...but I can't be sure.

Julia soon came from the back of their shop, leading a white horse. "I'm really not supposed to name her," Julia whispered. "But I couldn't help it. I call her Sunshine." I smiled, and she giggled. "A little weird, I know." She replied to my laugh.

We both mounted our horses, and I noticed she too was riding bareback. She led me to Pierre's house, and then I _barely _noticed the little gap in the trees. "There it is," She whispered, as if it was some type of secret. "We should go in single file, but then after a few seconds the trail widens. That's how far I've explored, though."

We were paced at a steady working walk, and I was behind her. Sure enough, the trail widened, and soon I was next to Julia and Sunshine, and I absorbed the fresh air, trying to take in all the beauty of the trail. On its edges were shrubs and several trees, not to mention several wildflowers, and the sparkling sunshine made it even better.

I sighed in content, and Dawn neighed happily in reply. "Want to trot?" Julia asked. I nodded, and clicked to Dawn, giving her a little kick. She began her smooth trot, and I patted her quickly before beginning to post. I remember when I first started trotting, I had to count to make sure I didn't cross-post. 1, 2, 1, 2, I would say. Now, it just comes naturally.

Feeling the wind run through my hair, I giggled to the sky, throwing my head back. The trail had now turned into a very wide path, and the trees were taller now.

Eventually, Julia and I came to a small stream, and we slowed down so the horses could take a drink. "It sure is pretty out here," I said quietly, as if the forest were so peaceful, talking loudly shouldn't be allowed to happen. Julia nodded in reply, and suddenly I heard a loud, _crack! _From the distance. I flinched; the sound reminded me of people making buildings in the city.

After the _crack _was a _"mrrroww!" _noise. "Hmmm...Sounds like a cat. I'm going to go check it out. I'll be back in a few, okay?" I wanted to be sure the animal was okay, and investigate what the _crack _noise was. Julia nodded in reply, and I mounted Dawn, clicking at her to gallop.

We raced through the forest, and I headed towards where the _crack _noise had come from. Looking back, I tried to figure out some landmarks so I could make my way back, later. Dawn, however, was going very fast, and most of the forest was just a blur. And that's why I didn't see the tree branch until it hit me.

I heard myself say, "Oof," as I fell to the ground, and then I was drowning in a pool of darkness.

• • •

**WOOT! I am done! :) I didn't edit that much, because I was in a **_**huge **_**hurry to get this done for you guys. Thanks for being patient! **


	12. Chapter 11: Rain, rain, go away

**Ello awesome people reading my story! You guys are WONDERFUL! Not much to say about this chapter except...VAUGHNXCHELSEA FOREVER! And oh yes...**

**IzzyKawaii, here is my reply to your review: Aw, that stinks that you didn't like the stables. I'm currently trying to find a place to take lessons, but I'm not having much luck. :( Oh well...I love posting, even if it's uncomfortable in a Western Saddle. I do prefer English posting, but I like riding Western style more. And sorry the update took a while...Writer's block will do that to you. Anyway, enjoy everyone!**

**Chapter 11: Rain, rain, go away...**

**Vaughn's POV-**

I was leaning against the counter, talking a little with Mirabelle. Ever since my epiphany about being friends with Chelsea, I've warmed up just a little to Mirabelle and Julia.

It's raining like crazy outside right now, and I saw a few lighting strikes. I just hope Julia and Chelsea are okay. I'm not exactly sure what they're doing, Julia said it was a secret.

"Chelsea was ecstatic when we gave her the horse today. She called it Dawn. I think it's a very-"**MOM! VAUGHN!**" Julia cried, bursting through the door. The harsh wind was whipping her hair around, so she shoved the door close. When I got a closer look at her, I realized she was crying, and her clothes were a mess.

"Julia, honey, what's wrong?" Mirabelle exclaimed, rushing to her daughter. My eyebrows were crinkled in confusion, and I wondered why Julia was so upset. And where's Chelsea?

"Ch-Chelsea and I...horse trail...she...rode off for a minute...I can't find her!" Julia sobbed. My eyes widened, and Mirabelle murmured, "Oh no. This isn't good. So you're saying you and Chelsea went on a horse trail, she rode off for a minute, and when she didn't come back, you went to look for her, but now you can't find her?" Julia nodded, sniffling.

As the words sank in, I looked outside into the pouring, hectic thunderstorm. _Chelsea is...out there? _I thought. "Chelsea," I whispered, my concern growing. "How long did you look?" Mirabelle asked a now calmed down Julia. "Oh, about...half an hour. I didn't find even a trail of hoof prints, they were all drowned in the rain." "Why would you go horseback riding on a day like this?" I growled. "Vaughn!" Mirabelle cried. "It was a very nice day half an hour ago!" "Sorry," I muttered, pulling my hat down.

"So what do we do?" Julia sniffled. "I suppose we should send out a search party," Mirabelle replied, looking thoughtful. "You, me, and Vaughn. And anyone else who has a horse. Do you know of anyone?"

The truth is, yes, I do know of someone...but there's now way I'm letting that blond idiot help look for Chelsea. But of course, Julia just _has _to open her big mouth. "Will!" She cried. "Oh, yes," Mirabelle replied. "Isn't his horse visiting him for a week?" Julia nodded, but I scowled. "Great, it's settled," Mirabelle smiled. "Julia and I will look for Chelsea together, and Vaughn and Will can look for Chelsea together, also." "What?" I scoffed. "That blond idiot? He won't help at all!" "Vaughn!" Julia exclaimed. "That 'blond idiot' happens to be one of Chelsea's best friends!" My eyes widened. _Didn't know that, _I thought. "Fine," I groaned. "Okay, I'll take the other bay we have. Julia, you take the horse you were riding. Vaughn, you take the black quarter horse. Go get Will to help you look. Julia and I will get started. We'll meet back at the house at around, oh, three?" I nodded, straightening my hat and preparing to go out into the storm with one thought in my mind:

_I have _got _to find Chelsea. _

**Chelsea's POV-**

"Chelsea, Chelsea! Wake up, dear!" A kind, soft voice calls to me. "No," I want to say back, but my lips don't move. "I'm tired."

My head is throbbing, and I can feel my ankle twisted in an unnatural position. That doesn't keep me from dreaming though.

First, I can see Brian, and his face has that evil, devious smile that I hate plastered onto it. Then, I see Ash, sick and weak in his bed. Next comes Sean, his face smiling as usual.

And then, I see something that makes my heart melt: Vaughn, with his hat tipped down. He's frowning, and I can even see a tear sliding down his cheek. Whoa whoa whoa, Vaughn, _crying? _That's weird.

"Chelsea!" The voice calls again, this time louder. "Please, wake up! Just open those pretty blue eyes of yours." And I'm so scared that I'm actually _dead, _I open my eyes.

I'm instantly glad I did, because I'm overwhelmed with the feeling of peace. There is a green haired woman standing in front of me, with beautiful braids frolicking down her back, and a fairy-like gown sparkling in the sunlight. Or is it moonlight?

"Hello Chelsea," She says, her voice calm and peaceful. It sounds like she's singing. "I am the Harvest Goddess." I instantly realize she's telling the truth, because I remember her description from the legends. "How do you know me?" I ask. "Am I dead?" The Harvest Goddess giggles, and the sound is like bells are ringing, relaxing and joyful at the same time. "I know everyone," She laughs. "And no, you are not dead. You are simply in a dream that is real. This may be hard for you to believe and understand, but you willed yourself here. When you opened your eyes because I asked you to, you were sent here." I nodded, bewildered, but I believed her.

"You're going to wake up now. Thank you for coming to visit. I'm sure we'll meet again soon." The Harvest Goddess begins to fade, and the pain in my ankle and head is so sharp again that I almost scream.

Now, I'm dreaming about a thunderstorm, because I can hear the low rumble of thunder and the pounding rain. Wait...I'm not dreaming. I can actually _hear _the thunder and rain.

My eyes flutter open, and it's like breaking the surface of water. I'm soaked to the bone, and my head is pounding. I look to my side, and see Dawn standing there, waiting for me loyally, even though we've only known each other a day. "Good horse," I murmured, sighing and closing my eyes again.

After listening to the rain for a moment, I check my watch: 1:30. Wow, it's been a while. I wonder where Julia went.

I tried to stand up, but my ankle was bothering me, so I settled for sitting in the mud. I pulled my boot and sock off to examine it, and groaned. "Sprained," I grumbled. I've had a sprained ankle once before, and it was a while ago, but I still remember the look of my ankle when it was sprained. It was actually Brian's fault, he pushed me and I tripped on a chair. Yes, a _chair. _

My ankle was throbbing, but the pounding in my head was fading away a little. A bolt of lighting lit up the sky, and I shuddered, but not because I was cold. After living with Brian, not many things could frighten me, there were only three: Death, being lost, and thunderstorms. "Wonderful," I muttered aloud. "Two of those have already happened, I'm sure number three isn't far away."

I tried lifting myself up again, only to stagger back onto the ground. Standing was too much pressure on my ankle, and it also made me dizzy. "I'm _so _glad I'm a klutz," I grumbled sarcastically.

_Oh great, it's raining harder now, _I thought. I attempted to sit up again. Every fiber of my sore being screamed in protest, but I managed it. "Good," I sighed. Now, I tried crawling. Definite no-no. My limbs were too tired; my head felt funny, and my ankle screamed in agony. So now I attempted to army crawl. As soon as I started, and there wasn't as much pain in doing so, I let out a breath of relief.

I made my way over to Dawn, who was chomping on some weeds by a tree, oblivious to the rain. I leaned on her for support while trying to stand. Immediately, a dizzy spell hit me again, but I ignored it this time. When I was finally standing, or at least leaning, I grimaced. "That felt great," I growled to myself sarcastically.

It was nice now that I was standing, but I knew it would be impossible to mount Dawn, because one: I have a sprained ankle. Two: I am _definitely _not tall enough to mount her without a fence rail, or a stool, or _something. _

I gasped when I saw that there was a dark red liquid on Dawn's mane. I looked around for a sign of a scratch on her neck, but didn't find any. "That's strange," I said, and then a little drop of red caught my eye. It was dripping on my hand, too. Finally, I saw where the blood was coming from: A huge gash on my arm. "Oh, now that looks _fun,_" I mumbled sarcastically. Taking off my bandana, I began to wrap it around my arm. It didn't really cover the whole cut, but I figured that was the best it was going to get.

A sudden wave of exhaustion took over, so I sat back down. Army crawling away from Dawn, I went to lie down in a patch of fluffy, wet grass. But everything else was wet, so what did it matter?

Suddenly, I heard a _crack! _My eyes blinked open, but it was too late. I screamed in pain when I heard a sickening _pop _noise, and saw that lighting had struck a tree and one of the braches had fallen on my legs. "Oh _yes," _I growled. "Death is has a very good possibility now..." I tried to shift the branch off of my leg, but it was one of those huge, thick ones. I knew that both of my legs were probably broken now, because they were both stinging and every cell in them were probably screaming, "Ow, ow, ow!" I chuckled dryly at the thought, knowing it might even be the last time I laugh, because that tree next to me looks pretty close to falling...

**Vaughn's POV-**

"Rain, rain, go away, give Chelsea back to us today..."

Will ended up accepting, and we were now riding through the forest. He seemed very worried about Chelsea, and I remembered what Julia had said: "That 'blond idiot' happens to be one of Chelsea's best friends!" Maybe she was right. But I still don't trust him.

I don't really know what we're supposed to be looking for. Julia was right; the pouring rain had washed every horse track away. I listened carefully for the _sound _of Chelsea, or her horse, for that matter.

Suddenly, Will spoke up. "I am truly sorry, Vaughn. But I feel like I have done something to offend you." I considered snapping back at him, but instead, I replied, "No. Are you...friends, with Chelsea?" "Yes, I am," Will nodded. "We have been friends for a very long time." I frowned. "So you like her?" "Yes, I do," Will looked puzzled, and then his face lit up. "Oh! You mean in that sense. No...I'm sad to say I do not. My heart is set on another girl on this island." His voice grew low on the last part. My heart fluttered a little, but I'm not exactly sure why...could it be that I'm-no. I'm definitely not jealous. I don't like Chelsea that way. "Oh," I mumbled, blushing a little. "For your information," Will began. "She seems to like you very much. When we have lunch, she will sometimes talk of you. Always saying something like, "Oh, Vaughn? He's rude, obnoxious, and annoying...but sometimes, he'll give you this one look, that's so sweet. And he's really funny, too." I blushed even more, and we continued through the forest in silence.

Suddenly, I heard a scream that sounded like it was in pain, but also had a hint of fear in it. "Chelsea!" Will and I exclaimed at the same time. We headed in the direction of where it was coming from, when a hint of red caught my eyes, and I whipped around on my horse. Will continued to gallop in the other direction; he hadn't noticed I had stopped. Sure enough, I saw Chelsea on the ground only a few feet away, with her bandanna tied around her arm.

There was a log on top of her legs, and she looked like she was struggling to get it off. I began to run toward her, when I heard the sickening sound of a _crack, _and the tree above her started to fall.

**Chelsea's POV-**

I sighed in defeat after struggling to get the log of my legs. Okay, so I have a few options now: One, scream my lungs out. Two: Wait until someone rescues me. Three: die. Four: Scream my lungs out, wait for someone to rescue me, and think about what I'll do in heaven ifI die.

I think I'll go with option four.

I close my eyes, and try to calm down, before taking a deep breath, and screaming. But the sound is cut off by the sound of yet _another _cracking noise, and my eyes flutter open to see the tree above me falling, falling, right on top of...me. Joy.

Okay, correction to option four: Scream my lungs out, wait for someone to rescue me, and think about what I'll do in heaven _when _I die. Sounds good to me.

A tear slides down my cheek, and everything feels like it's going in slow motion. And then I _know _that I'm dead, because I hear an angel's voice cry, "**CHELSEA!**"

• • •

**Oh my gosh, I'm sooooooo evil. That's a crazy cliffhanger, ha ha ha. But do remember, I **_**am **_**fond of happy endings. Sorry these last two chapters were short, I should've combined them...OH WELL! R&R please!**


	13. Chapter 12: Breathe

**EEP! A new chapter of Refresh Button! WOOT WOOT! Sorry, I know it's been a super long time…I've been **_**so **_**busy lately! This chapter is kind of based off of the song "Breathe," by He is We, an AWESOME band! Check them out on youtube! Hope you like my OC in this chapter…Okay, enough of my blabbing, because I left you with a really mean cliffhanger last time...enjoy!**

**Chapter 12: Breathe**

**Chelsea's POV-**

Something strong, cold, and wet grabs my sides. I feel my legs yanked from underneath the log, and at first it hurts like crazy, but then they're filled with a tingling sensation.

Wait a second...it _hurt. _Isn't heaven supposed to _not _hurt? Maybe I'm not dead yet?

With that thought, my eyes flutter open, and they lock with a pair of violet orbs. "Chelsea," Vaughn whispers, his voice filled with relief. "Wh-what happened?" I croak. "I-I did it. I saved you," Vaughn murmured. My eyes grew wide. _Vaughn _pulled me out from under the log?

I was in his arms, and we were in kind of an awkward position, but I was too tired to move, and I don't really think he noticed.

"Crap," I muttered, and pouted. "Are you mad that I saved you?" Vaughn asked, looking puzzled. I smiled, and replied, "No, but now I have to save you _two _more times. Quit saving my life!" I giggled, and Vaughn chuckled quietly. "Then stop being such a klutz," He replied.

My eyes closed again, and I murmured, "Vaughn...Dawn, where is she?" "She's here, by the tree," Vaughn whispered. "Mmm," I breathed. "Kay." "I should bring you back to Mirabelle's," Vaughn said. "Yup," I whispered, too tired to say anything else.

I think Vaughn said something about Will after, but I was already fast asleep in his arms.

• • •

"Aw, crap!" A light, girly voice said. I think it's Julia's, but I'm still half asleep, and too tired to care.

Following her voice was a large bang, and the noise of running water. This officially woke me up, and my eyes fluttered open. Looking around, I realized I was on the couch in Mirabelle's living room. My stomach growled loudly, and I checked my watch: four-thirty.

"Julia!" I said as loud as I could, which was pretty quiet. "Feed me!" She laughed, and then replied, "So you're up! I thought you'd be hungry. I was actually trying to help mom make some dinner, but it didn't go too well." I giggled, and attempted to get up. The pain wasn't too bad, and I hobbled over to Julia. "Hey!" She cried. "You're supposed to be in bed!" "Nope," I replied, popping the "p." "I think I'll help you with dinner." Julia smiled, and caved in. "Well, fine."

She said she wanted to help make a salad, so we started to cut up vegetables for it. I cut up the carrots, while Julia handled the cabbage. "I despise carrots," I croaked. "So does Vaughn," Julia sighed. "You two really need to eat more vegetables." I giggled, and began to hobble over to the oven. "You want me to pre-heat this?" I asked. "Sure," Julia replied.

That's when I noticed I wasn't wearing _my _clothes. I was wearing a brown, long sleeve shirt with a green-checkered short sleeve shirt on top. I was also wearing some jean shorts. They were down to my mid-thigh, which is a little short for my liking. "Hey, Julia, are these your clothes?" I asked while pressing the "preheat" button on the oven. "Oh, yeah, you like them?" She replied. "Yeah, they're kinda cute," I giggled. "Keep them," Julia laughed. "They don't fit me anymore." "Really?" I exclaimed. "Thanks!" "No prob."

I hobbled back to the corner, only to stumble and fall. Well, to _almost_ fall. Someone caught me. I looked up and saw Vaughn.

My cheeks only blushed slightly, and I smiled widely, and then gave Vaughn a hug that probably broke every bone in his upper body. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed. "That would mean more to me if you were on the couch and resting. You shouldn't be hobbling around!" Vaughn teased. I playfully scowled, and then nudged him. "Watch out, or I'll secretly put _carrots_ in yoursalad." Vaughn made a face, and I giggled. "Woo hoo! I know your weakness!"

"Chelsea hates carrots, too, Vaughn!" Julia sang while giggling. "**JULIA!**" I whined. "Come on! That was my only dirt on him, and now you just _have _to counteract it!" "She's back," Julia murmured, snickering. Vaughn wore the same expression. "Wow, you guys really are cousins!" I exclaimed, pointing from one face to the other. We all laughed. Or, at least, Julia and I did. Vaughn kind of chuckled quietly.

Eventually, Julia and I finished dinner, even though Vaughn insisted I sit down and rest. Mirabelle graciously invited me to eat with them, and I accepted. My stomach was growling like crazy by the time we finally got to eat.

I learned that Will had also helped look for me, and he had brought Dawn back to my stable. "I'll thank him later," I murmured aloud. Vaughn gave me a funny look that I couldn't quite figure out, so I ignored it. For now, I was content with just eating dinner with some friends.

• • •

I stretched in the warm summer sunshine. It had been about a week since the thunderstorm day. I finally have twelve sunstones after my horse and dog found two of them for me...kind of weird, huh? But it was still nice of them. Lanna also gave me one after I discovered she liked fish. Thankfully, I'll be able to raise Mystic Islands today.

I had just finished watering my crops (two patches of eggplant, one patch of corn), and McNugget, Buffy, Dawn, and Sean Jr. were all having fun in the sun, as I like to say.

It's actually a Sunday today, so Vaughn is coming tomorrow, which will be good. My sprained ankle has been doing very well, and I'm walking around without a crutch now, but there's still a tiny limp.

Natalie, Julia, and I have gotten even closer. Elliot _finally _asked Julia out, and I have a feeling Pierre is going to for Natalie soon, also. As for Vaughn and I...I'm content with us just staying friends, if that's what he wants. Besides, Sabrina seems to like him...it's not that I _wouldn't _go out with Vaughn if he asked be, but I don't want to act all weird and stuff.

Really, I'm not going to do much today. I can't really run around all that well with a sprained ankle, so I was thinking about just fishing, visiting Julia and Natalie, and then having lunch with Will. And, of course, raising Mystic Islands.

I finally smiled once more at my animals, and then turned around to leave, when suddenly something troubled me while I was walking: Sean _still _hadn't written back after I wrote to him...I wonder what's taking so long, it's been a week.

I finally got to Verdure Island, and started to head towards the boat to Meadow Island, but was stopped by a voice. "Ah, Chelsea, there you are!" It was Chen. I smiled, and waved at him. "Hey, Chen!" "Anyways, I thought I'd give you this letter that came by last night!" I squealed like a little girl. Sean had written back!

I took the letter and immediately tore it open after reading that it _was _in fact from Sean. My eyes began to scan over the paper.

_Dear Chelsea,_

_ I'm terribly sorry; it's been so long, hasn't it? I have some bad news for you. _

_ Ash is at the hospital, and suffering from an unknown sickness. He is very depressed, and thinks he will die. I tell him he won't, but it doesn't help. I think he _wants _to go. _

_ Ash would like you to come to visit him. I know this may be hard for you, and it will be dangerous, also, because Brian is now looking for you. I've been trying to find time to write you this week, but he's been tailing me. I barely have time to write this letter, sorry if it is short. But anyway, Ash would like you to come. I think he'll live, but he says that just in case, he wants to see you one last time._

_ Chelsea, please think before you act. I know you will want to see Ash, but it will be dangerous. _

_ Yours truly,_

_ Sean_

My eyes grew wider and wider as I read the letter.

Ash...my seventeen year old brother...was possibly...

Dying?

And from depression? Was it because of Brian? Oh, boy, was he going to get it if I ever got my hands on him. And how could Sean even _think _about my safety? Of course I'm going to go see Ash.

But I still can't quite grasp it...he's...dying?

My stomach knots up, and I slouch to the ground, putting my head in between my knees. I sit like that for a moment, and then think to myself... _ All right, Chels, pull yourself together. What do you need? _I let out a breath. "Breathe," I replied to myself, trying not to panic, but instead focusing on keeping my breathing steady and slow. "He might not die," I remind myself out loud. _Now _who _do I need? _I wondered. That thought kind of slipped out. Really, I know whose comfort I'd really like, but he wasn't here at the moment. So I went to my backup.

Standing up, I tried to keep the tears from falling and sniffled while practically running to the Animal Shop. My ankle screamed in protest, but I ignored it. Bursting through the door, I let go, and a sob escaped my throat. "Chelsea, is that you?" Julia called from the kitchen. Mirabelle was at the counter, and when she saw I was crying, she immediately rushed over and cried, "Oh, what's wrong, honey?" I couldn't speak, so I just let Julia and Mirabelle hug me as I sobbed. We eventually moved to the couch, and Mirabelle went to the kitchen, saying something about, "Hot chocolate."

Julia put an arm around me, and whispered, "Chelsea, are you okay?" I shook my head. "My brother...hospital...dying!" Another sob escaped. Julia grasped me tighter, and whispered, "I'm _so _sorry."

Mirabelle came back eventually with some hot chocolate, and I grabbed a mug, murmuring, "Thanks." I saw Julia look up at her mom and I felt her mouth something. Mirabelle gasped, and then said, "Chelsea, what do you think of going to the city to see your brother?" "What?" My voice cracked. She nodded, and replied, "Julia and I were planning on going to the city for a day or two, but seeing that you probably need it more now, how about you two go instead?" "I couldn't do that," I shook my head. "That would be...taking away your girl time." "Oh, don't worry about it!" Mirabelle cried, waving a hand. "Even if only for a day." "Come on, Chels," Julia coaxed. I caved in. "O-Okay, if you're sure..." "Let's leave today!" Julia squealed.

I giggled a little, and a spark of hope flared inside of me. Maybe this whole thing _would _turn out okay? Maybe Ash is _just _sick, not dying, as he thought he was.

"Fine," I sighed. "I have to go home and pack though. Mirabelle, would you mind taking care of the farm for a day or two?" "Not at all, honey," Mirabelle laughed. "You go have fun."

"Thanks, Mirabelle," I murmured while hugging her. "For everything." "No problem, dear," She replied. "Now, you had better go pack, because the tickets we bought for the ferry are for the three o'clock boat!" I smiled, but only a little, because the feeling of grief that my brother was possibly dying was still fresh.

But maybe a visit to the city _will _be good for me.

• • •

As Kirk took me to Meadow Island, I checked my watch: one o'clock. _Good, _I thought. _I still have time to raise and explore the Mystic Islands before the boat leaves. _

I had packed one simple suitcase, with two outfits, a pair of pajamas, and the other necessities. Then I had left my farm to have lunch with Will, who I thanked for taking my horse back, and we talked for a while. He ended up paying, even though I insisted I should do it, because he paid last time. "No, Chelsea," He laughed. "I have a lot of money. And I mean a _lot. _You need to use your money for your ranch. Besides, your friendship is enough for me."

I tried to keep myself busy throughout the day, so that my mind wouldn't wander to Ash. But when all you have to do is fish, because you really don't want to talk to people, that's a tough job.

I'm definitely not my cheery self today. I've hardly smiled, and even though Will asked me about a thousand times what was wrong, I never told him. It just didn't feel...right.

Finally, we arrived at Meadow Island, and I hopped off the boat after I mumbled a quick "thanks" to Kirk. As usual, Meadow Island was happy, sunny, and a little lonely looking, too, because no one was there today. I quickened my pace until I reached the shrine, and swiftly touched it.

"Ooh!" Agete gasped. "Chelsea, your aura feels terrible today! Are you alright?" Agete was now standing at my feet, a confused look covering his face. So they can tell auras, too? Harvest Sprites are a little bit strange...

"That's okay, don't answer, I already know!" Agete laughed. "..." Was my response. **STALKER STATUS! **

"Anyway, what can I do for you today?" "Uh, can I raise Mystic Islands?" I asked quietly. "Oh, great choice! You can meet the Har-," Agete's voice was cut off by the rumble of an "earthquake," and I almost laughed when I remembered my experience last time. Almost.

Finally, the rumbling noise stopped, and I ran to Kirk's boat. "Mystic Islands, please," He gave me a weird look, and then seemed to remember last time with Volcano Island, and we began the ride to Mystic Islands.

It wasn't too long. Kirk still seemed a little surprised that Mystic Islands were here, but I didn't bother explaining to him. Instead, I cautiously jumped off the boat. There were two islands, with a bridge connecting them. I looked to one side and saw it was empty, but the other island had a pond on it, so I decided to go visit that island.

The island was quite pretty, and many flowers and wild grasses were growing around the pond. I gathered a few of the flowers and held them in my hands delicately.

I had never been _really _religious, but ever since my "horse trail incident," and when I met the Harvest Goddess, my faith has gone up a little. So I said a quiet prayer out loud, "I know you may not be able to hear me, but my brother, Ash, is in the hospital, and I'm afraid. Please don't take him away from me. He's only seventeen, for crying out loud! He's so young…please let him live. I've already lost enough."

Suddenly, the wind picked up a little, and one of the flowers was snatched from my grasp. It fluttered daintily into the pond.

A mist rose from the pond, and I thought I could see it sparkling. Suddenly, a familiar face appeared: The Harvest Goddess.

"I-It's you!" I cried, a smile covering my face. "How are you here? I thought I could only see you in dreams?" The Harvest Goddess smiled, and she sang, "I'm always here with you Chelsea, whether you're awake or dreaming. I actually have a certain admiration for all farmers, and I have a spring in a lot of places that there are ranches. Each spring is sort of like a portal." "Wow, really?" I gasped. "That's amazing."

"I know you are having troubles. I assure you that everything will turn out okay, though. Trust me," The Harvest Goddess gave me a small smile, and I couldn't help but feeling a little more happy. "Thanks," I whispered. "For everything." "No problem, Chelsea. And what I said goes for everything. It will _all _turn out okay, eventually." My heart grew lighter, and then the Harvest Goddess disappeared.

With a small smile on my lips, I threw the rest of the flowers into the pond, and left to go meet Julia at the docks.

• • •

I lugged my suitcase onto the boat. Julia followed. "So, here's the plan," She whispered after some workers took our suitcases. We were standing by the bar that separated us from the ocean.

"We get there around six tonight, grab some dinner, then check into our hotel. After that, we'll go to the hospital, and you can visit your brother. Tomorrow, you can visit the hospital maybe one more time, and I'll wait for you in the lobby, and _then_ we'll spend the rest of the day in the city until, oh, twelve, which is when our boat back leaves. Got it?" I nodded, and smiled a little.

"Great," Julia replied. "I'm going to go suntan for a while in those chairs." She giggled at the last part, and I saw that there was a cute guy sitting in one of them, and I chuckled quietly. "Don't forget about Elliot!" I exclaimed as she skipped away.

I turned back to the ocean. This boat was a lot bigger than the one I had come to Sunshine Islands on, but I liked it. Thoughts of my brother threatened to push into my head, so instead I switched thoughts to the first thing that popped into my brain: Vaughn.

Vaughn? Why _Vaughn? He _is _your friend, _a tiny voice inside my head whispered. Friend? Well, yeah, I guess he is…but sometimes, I find myself wishing he were as much of a friend to me as I want to be to him.

Eventually, I decided to go tan with Julia.

After an hour of sunbathing next to her, our boat finally arrived in the city, and Julia was right, it's about six. "Okay," Julia squealed. "Let's _go!_" Some employees handed us our bags, and we got off the boat.

I stretched, and a cloud started to cover the sun. I sighed, knowing that it would probably rain tonight. I thought of Ash: He always liked the rain. I wonder if he still does? It feels like I haven't seen him in _forever. _

Julia rescued me from negative thoughts by saying, "C'mon, let's go."

**Vaughn's POV-**

I plopped onto the leather couch in the lobby of my workplace. Picking up a magazine from the coffee table in front of me, I pretended to read it. But really, my thoughts were elsewhere.

Honestly, I'm just a little nervous right now, because my boss called me in for an appointment. This happens often, but each time I get nervous that I'm going to get fired.

Finally, I hear my boss, Chris, call my name. I walk over to his office, and once marvel at how nice it is. There's a desk in one corner with a computer chair, and a leather couch at the side with a coffee table in front of it. On the other side of the coffee table is a large black chair, and Chris goes to sit there. He gestures to me to sit on the couch across from him.

I let out a sigh of relief. This is usually how every normal meeting with Chris goes. He'll invite me to sit down, ask if I want coffee, then when I say no, he'll go on with where I need to go for an "emergency visit."

"Do you need some coffee, Vaughn?" Chris asks. Yup, there it is! "No thanks," I reply quietly.

Chris is…well, not a friend, because he's my boss, but we know each other pretty well, and I like him, because he knows not to pry when something's up, and he doesn't talk much.

"So, the rancher on Waffle Island needs a cow, and we forgot to restock cows this week. So I was wondering if you could go on Monday and Tuesday instead of Wednesday and Thursday because of the delay," Chris explained. I considered it for a moment, because Monday and Tuesday were my two days on Sunshine Islands. "I'll have to call my aunt and cousin and tell them I won't be there this week," I told Chris. He nodded. "Oh, yeah, which rancher? The one from Brownie Ranch, or the girl from Spring Song Ranch?" Chris flipped through a few papers. "Uh, the girl," He murmured. "It's her second cow. I know you've only gone there once, because usually Lucas does it, but he's taking a vacation there this week. So I had to ask you." Hearing Lucas's name made me smile slightly. Lucas is another one of the people I managed to get somewhat close to, but now that I've decided to branch out a little, because maybe my luck has turned, we've become even closer this week.

"Okay, I'll do it," I finally nodded. "Great!" Chris exclaimed. We shook hands, and I left. That was our usual "departing words." So, like someone else's goodbye, or Chelsea's bubbly "See you later!" according to Julia.

I pulled my hat down a little, and then walked out of my work building into the bustling city. But before I go home however, there's one more stop I need to make today…

I begin to jog to the hospital. But the thing that not many people know about it is that the hospital is also a vet. Or, according to Madison, the bubbly, dramatic, and imaginative nineteen-year-old attendant, it is. She is an animal lover who convinced her boss to donate a room to lost and abandoned animals. I like Madison a lot, and even though I've only known her for a month, we've really gotten closer this week, kind of like Lucas and I.

When I opened the door to the hospital, a bell above me rang. "**VAUGHN!**" I heard a familiar voice squeal. Small arms wrapped around me, and some dark brown hair that reminded me of Chelsea's was under my chin. I chuckled quietly, and gently pushed Madison off of me. "Hey, Madison," I murmured. "Vaughn!" Madison squealed yet again. I looked her over: She was wearing a light teal t-shirt, with a black and teal striped fluffy skirt, and black leggings. There was a black headband pushing some of her hair back, but long bangs still brushed her eyebrows.

"Madison, are you going against the hospital's dress code _again?_" I groaned, even though I think the outfit looks pretty good on her. "Well, dill, don't I always?" That's another thing I like about Madison. She's always using her own expressions, like instead of duh she will say dill, and instead of holy cow she'll say holy snicker doodles. That's just…her.

"But enough about dress codes smesh codes," Madison giggled happily. "I have _awesome _news!" "What?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Well, I just got a new job offering at the _real _animal clinic! I'm going to be a veterinarian, Vaughn!" She squealed, and I gave her a small smile. "Congrats," I mumbled. "But that's not all, oh no!" Madison laughed, waving her index finger in my face. "I'm working for Ranchers incorporated!" I almost choked on air. "Seriously?" I cried. "Yeah!" Madison giggled. "But that means-"YEAH! Vaughn, you and I are working at the same company! I get to travel, too, and maybe I'll even get to hang out with-," She cut off, and brought a hand to her mouth. I chuckled, knowing the end of her sentence would be "Lucas." Ever since I brought him to the hospital the other day to meet Madison, she's been blushing when I mention him. "That's great, Madison. You must be so excited." She nodded.

"Well, anyways, there's my good news. I'm sure you want to see the animals, so go have fun!" Madison smiled her famous bright-eyed smile, ushering me off. I couldn't help picking up her cheerful mood, and feeling glad she was going to be working at the same place as me. That's awesome…I mean, I know Chris told me about the new vet program, and I recommended a girl named Madison, but I didn't know he would take my recommendation seriously…It's great though, because Madison _is _great with animals.

As I rush to the room where all of the animals are, a small smile lingers on my lips…

**No POV-**

Chelsea and Julia rushed into the hospital, and Chelsea immediately ran up to the girl at the attendant's desk, and looked down at the sign in book while breathlessly saying, "Hi, I'm Chelsea Hunters, I'm here to see my brother Ash." The attendant laughed, and replied, "Why Chelsea Hunters, I haven't seen you in like, a five months!" Chelsea's head snapped up at the familiar voice. When blue eyes locked with blue eyes, it was like two and two had been put together, and everything was okay…for now.

"MADISON!" Chelsea squealed. "CHELSEA!" Madison squealed, and they hugged. "It's been _so _long! I didn't know you worked here now!" "And I didn't know you had run away from home," Madison whispered. "Seriously, when Ash told me, I freaked. And _just _when I had come back from Paris to see you!" Chelsea giggled. "Sorry." "That's okay! It's all good now! But why did you run away?" Chelsea paused, and then replied, "It got really rough during the months that you left." "Oh," Madison whispered, looking a little sad. She knew most of what had happened between Chelsea and her father.

"Come here," Chelsea started on a lighter note. "You have to come meet my friend Julia! I'm sure you guys will be good friends!"

Chelsea and Madison walked over to Julia, who was reading a magazine. "Julia, this is Madison. Madison, this is Julia!" Julia stood and shook hands with Madison, who responded by hugging her tightly. Julia giggled, and Chelsea explained, "Madison and I went to high school together. She's my best friend. Well, besides you and Natalie," Chelsea giggled out the last part. "Cool!" Madison squealed. "Hi Julia, I'm Madison, and I like animals, especially horses, and I _love _traveling…Actually, I just go back from Paris, and…" Madison continued to talk, while Julia threw Chelsea a smile, and mouthed the words _I like her. _

"So, Chelsea, you want to visit Ash, right?" Madison finally asked. "Yeah," Chelsea frowned. "How is he?" "Depressed," Madison hesitated for a few moments, but then answered. "He thinks he's gonna die, but honestly I think he'll be okay, especially know that you're here to comfort him." But Chelsea could hear the edge in Madison's voice. "Anyway, I'm really sorry, but you're going to have to wait for a few minutes, because the doctors are with him right now." "Oh, okay, I'll just go see the animals! Want to come, Julia?" Chelsea laughed half-heartedly. "No thanks, I think I'll read this magazine for a bit," Julia smiled. "Okay!" Chelsea sang, and plastered a big smile on her face.

As Chelsea walked off, Madison exclaimed, "Oh yeah, Chelsea! There's already someone in there!" But Chelsea was already in the animal room. Madison thought of Vaughn, and how he was always talking about a girl named Chelsea. _What a coincidence…_Madison thought, and then smiled. _Wait a second! _Realization crossed Madison's face. _What if it _isn't _a coincidence? What if my Chelsea is Vaughn's Chelsea, too? _Madison gasped, and then smiled. This could be a long day.

**MU HA HA! I personally love this chapter, and Madison is one of my favorite characters I've ever made up. You were just given a little more of Chelsea's past, yippee! So she **_**did **_**have a friend…yay! **

**Anyway, this chapter was kind of long to make up for the other two short ones. :) But I hope you liked it! Next chapter…let's just say, here's a sneak peek…**

I looked up, and my sapphire eyes locked with a pair of piercing brown eyes.

My heart jumped, my stomach flopped, and my feet grew numb. One word was being screamed inside my head: Run.

**Heh heh heh, what will happen? REVIEW AND YOU WILL FIND OUT!**

**Oh yeah, sorry for the sloppy editing. Ha ha ha. **


	14. Chapter 13: Vacation?

**YAY! A new chapter! Okay, so this chapter hopefully will knock your socks off. ;) It's also dedicated to my friend Thygreenthing, as she is a wonderful pal of the pen. :) Notice how this is chapter 13…unlucky number, anyone? ;) So, without further ado…ENJOY!**

**Chapter 13: Vacation?**

**No POV-**

Chelsea crouched down so she was face to face with a little collie puppy that reminded her of Sean Jr. Looking at the little piece of paper on the crate, Chelsea saw the name "Sandy" scrawled in Madison's handwriting.

"Hi Sandy," Chelsea murmured. "How ya doing?" Ever since the animals had arrived here at the hospital, Chelsea had gotten to be friends with Sandy.

Sandy gave Chelsea a little whine in response. "Not so great, huh?" Chelsea sighed.

Suddenly, she heard a _plop _from the corner of the large room. Standing up, Chelsea looked around, and shakily asked, "Hello?" No one replied, so Chelsea shrugged to herself and crouched back down behind the cages.

Meanwhile, Vaughn was in the same room, helping to feed some of the animals. He accidentally dropped one of the bags, and suddenly, from the other end of the room, heard a slightly familiar voice say, "Hello?" Vaughn set the food bag down and stood up to find the person, but didn't see anyone. Little did Vaughn know that the moment he stood up, Chelsea sat back down.

Vaughn shrugged, and the crouched down again.

A voice from the door sang, "Chels, you can go see Ash now!" Vaughn recognized Madison's voice. _Chels? _He wondered. _Could it be…naw, of course it isn't Chelsea. _

Chelsea smiled sadly, said goodbye to Sandy, and headed out the door to see Ash. Forcing back tears that threatened to spill over, Chelsea plastered a smile on her face and followed Madison to Ash's room.

**Chelsea's POV- **

When I entered Ash's room, I saw him lying on the bed, sleeping. I sighed. He looks so peaceful. Is it really possible he could be that sick?

I tiptoed over to his bed, and sat on the stool that was next to it, which was probably for visitors. "Ash?" I whispered, and even though it was quiet, my voice sounded weird. Like…it was in pain.

Ash opened his eyes, and smiled. "Chelsea!" He gasped. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"No," I laughed, and tears, whether they were happy or sad, I don't know, still threatened to spill over. "I'm here."

"Good," Ash sighed. "I know it's dangerous, but I had to see you one last time. I love you, Chelsea."

Finally, a tear made its way down my cheek. "No, don't talk like that, Ash," I scolded gently. "You're going to be okay, I promise!" My voice cracked a little, and more tears fell.

"Goodbye, Chels," Ash whispered, and his eyes closed. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Is Ash really…dead?

My question was answered when the monitor measuring his heart beats next to him stopped. My mouth dropped open, and I swallowed a sob that was sneaking up my throat. "No," I whispered. Then I looked up and said, "Harvest Goddess, can you hear me? You promised! You promised it would be okay!"

Suddenly, there was a draft in the room, even though the window was closed, and it whispered, "Yes, I did promise Chelsea. And I don't lie. Just cry, Chelsea, and I promise it _will _be okay."

So I did as I was told, and let the tears fall. Eventually, one landed on Ash's cheek, and just as I was about to wipe it away, something magical happened:

Ash turned golden. Well, not his body, but the air around him was fuzzy and soft looking, not to mention having the most inviting warmth I've ever felt. The golden stuff covered Ash, and I wanted to reach out to him, but something told me not to.

Then, just as quickly as it happened, it was over, and Ash sat up quickly, his eyes open. He looked over at me, and gasped, "Man, that was one heck of a light, wasn't it? I thought I was dead. I saw the Harvest Goddess and everything." A smile broke into my face, and I hugged Ash.

"You're okay," I laughed. "I thought you were dead!"

Ash suddenly broke away, and had a confused look on his face. "I actually think I really _was _dead…but I think you saved me. And…oh yeah, the Harvest Goddess told me to tell you this: There's a power in this world called love. And true, perfect love is the most powerful force in the world. It can defy death." Ash paused, and then continued, "I don't know what it means, but maybe you do."

I smiled, and replied, "Yes…I think I do. I love you, Ash. Don't forget that, m'kay?" I pulled him into another hug.

"Whoa, Chels, what's up with all this sappy stuff?" Ash laughed. "I mean, I love you too, Chels."

I laughed, and then Ash continued, "Ya know, I actually feel fine…well, great, now that I think of it. The best I've felt in a long time. Like I could-,"

A voice from the speaker interrupted him, and I recognized Madison's voice saying, "Excuse this interruption, everyone. But I need to get a message to room seventeen."

I looked at the number on our door, and gasped when I saw the number seventeen engraved into it.

Madison continued, saying, "The peaches are spoiling. I repeat, the peaches are _spoiling_. Thank you, that is all."

At first I was confused. Then, I remembered way back when Brian started abusing me, Madison and I talked…

_It was back in eighth grade, at my house. "Chels, come on," Madison begged. "I _know _something's wrong. I'm your best friend, you've got to tell me." _

_I caved in, as she had been begging for hours. "Fine," I scowled. I told her all about Brian, and when I was done, she just stared, wide-eyed._

"_Why don't you tell the police?" She finally whispered. "Cause Brian keeps it so secretive. There's no evidence, so who would believe me?" I replied, frowning. _

"_No evidence," Madison snorted. "What about the scars all over you? I'd call that solid evidence!" _

_I sighed. "Yes, but how do they know it's from Brian?" _

"_Oh," Madison looked crest fallen. "Right…well, Chels, if you ever want to talk about it, or you need to explain but we're in a weird situation, or I have to warn you or tell you about something, then we'll use a code! Like secret agents! It will be cool!" Some of the happy, bubbly Madison started to come back._

"_What should we use?" I smiled slightly. _

"_Uh…" Madison started. "The PEACHES…are SPOILING." She said it so dramatically I started laughing. _

"_What?" Madison smiled. "Okay, yeah, it's stupid, but it works!" _

Ever since then, we _have _been using that as our codeword whenever I need to talk and we're in a public place. But why would Madison use it, and even more important, why would Madison use it _here?_

And then, when the door opened, I understood.

I looked up, and my sapphire eyes locked with a pair of piercing brown eyes.

My heart jumped, my stomach flopped, and my feet grew numb. One word was being screamed inside my head: Run.

Because just my luck, there he was: Brian.

**Madison's POV- **

**(A/N: This is about five minutes ago compared to Chelsea's POV)**

"So that's how we meet," I explained, and Julia nodded, smiling. I've decided I like Julia. She's really nice, and I thought I wouldn't like her because she was Chelsea's new friend, but it turns out she's really cool.

"What exactly is Chelsea doing where you live? Well, I mean, _how _is she doing?" Julia started to explain, but her voice was cut off by the sound of the bell above the hospital's door ringing.

"Hi there, how can I-," My voice cut off when I realized who it was: Mr. Hunter…aka: Brian. "Oh, hey Mr. Hunter," I smiled half-heartedly, then glanced at Julia, throwing her that don't-say-a-single-word look. Her eyes were wide, her mouth opened up a little, but when she noticed my glance, it clamped shut, and she continued to "read" a magazine. Okay, so Julia definitely knows Chelsea's last name.

"Hello, Madison," Brian said coolly. "I didn't know you were working shifts here now." I could've sworn he glared at me for a few seconds, but then it was gone, and his piercing brown eyes just looked me over.

"Uh, yeah," I replied shakily. "Here to see Ash?" I begged with all my heart he would say no.

"Yes, I am," Brian replied. Crap. Just my luck, huh?

"He, um, might be sleeping," My voice had an edge to it, and I hoped Brian wouldn't notice my final attempt to get him to leave.

"That's quite alright with me, Madison. Now, if you would let me sign in, I'll go ahead and see my _son_," Brian's voice was evil sounding to me.

With one final glare, I spat out, "There are doctors, everywhere, Mr. Hunter. Be on you _best _behavior." I slid the clipboard over to him, and he signed his name. Luckily, I hadn't asked Chels to sign in before she went to see Ash. But who knows how much that will help…

I looked down the hall to see that Brian was now out of earshot, and literally ran over to Julia. "Listen to me, and don't object," I started. Julia curtly nodded, and I could clearly see the fear in her eyes. "Go hide behind the desk, right now. And don't come out unless I tell you to, okay?" Julia nodded, and ran over to the desk.

I followed her, picked up the little thing that speaks to all the rooms (I forgot what it's called), pressed the call button, and spoke into the little mike. "Excuse this interruption, everyone. But I need to get a message to room seventeen. The peaches are spoiling. I repeat, the peaches are _spoiling_. Thank you, that is all." I took my finger off of the button, and said to Julia, who was crouched below me, "If he gets near you, run. And I mean _run. _Because as soon as he figures out who you are, he'll try to use you to get to Chelsea. Trust me…" I pulled up my legging, revealing a long scar that went from my knee to my ankle. Julia gasped, and then nodded. Clearly, she got the message.

I crouched down to pull a little pocket knife out of my tennis shoe. _I'm _so _glad mom gave me that lesson on safety in the city… _  
Even though I know it won't do all that much, it's still useful.

I sprint down to room seventeen, and hope that nothing too bad has happened yet…

**Chelsea's POV-**

Brian snickers as soon as he sees me, and says, "Oh, Chelsea, what a wonderful little family reunion. It's too bad your mother couldn't join us. And I wondered why little Madison didn't want me to come visit my son."

I glared at Brian, and laughed humorlessly at the same time. "Your _son_? You're no father of ours. Fathers don't abuse their children."

Brian laughed. "Talk all you want, Chelsea, but you're not getting away this time!" He lunged at me, but I swiftly dodged. "Gotten a little more fit, have we?" Brian sneered, pulling up his sleeves. "No problem. I'll just step it up a notch."

"I have an axe, a hoe, sickle, watering can, and hammer in my backpack. I'm not afraid to use them," I glared at Brian, and even _I _was scared of my own voice.

Brian didn't care about my threat though, and he lunged again. This time, I wasn't able to escape without tripping. Just as I thought Brian had me though, he cried out in pain, and I saw a pocketknife in his side.

Quickly, I got up, and almost ran into Madison, who offered her hand. "Come on," She whispered, and we bolted out of the room together. I could hear Brian's footsteps behind us, but Madison and I didn't leave. Instead, she led me to underneath the desk, and I saw Julia hiding there.

"Quickly, Julia, let's go!" Madison murmured. But when I heard a crash on the floor, I peeked out over the desk.

Brian had broken a vase, and I heard him yell, "Chelsea, you can't hide from me! And neither can you Madison! Come out, come out, wherever you-AH! Get away from me, you mut!"

I glanced over the desk again, and saw that Sandy was out of the animal room, and biting Brian's leg. Even though I'm not sure how she got out, boy am I thankful she's there.

Madison, Julia, and I dart out from behind the desk, but while Julia and I run for the door, I see Madison crouch down and grab something. "Maddie!" I yell. "C'mon!" She nods, and slips out the door along with Julia and I.

Luckily, there's a taxi right by the hospital, and Madison quickly hails it. Once all three of us are inside, Madison demands, "The docks, now! And step on it! If you get over eighty, it's still not fast enough!" I laugh at Madison's comment at the end, even though I just got out of a life-threatening situation. I just hope Ash is okay.

Thankfully, the driver gets us to the docks in no time at all. Madison throws the driver a wad of cash, and yells, "Keep the change!" As we leave.

"Come on," Madison murmurs, and I wonder what she getting at. She glances at a black limo two lights behind us. "We're not safe yet." Julia and I nod, and Madison leads us to the docks, and then the ticket guy.

"I need three tickets to the boat that's leaving the soonest!" Madison demanded, and before the guy could say anything, Madison cries, "I know it leaves in five minutes! I've got cash, gimme the tickets!" The guy looks frightened, so he hands the tickets over to Madison. Julia and I smile at Madison's mood right now.

Once again, she hands this guy a wad of cash, and yells, "Keep the change!" As she pulls Julia and I toward the boat we're getting on. The captain lets us on, while I say to Madison, "Uh, Julia and I left our luggage at the hotel…" "No problem," Madison replies, plopping onto a leather couch that's in the huge boat lobby. "We'll just buy you guys new stuff."

Julia and I are now sitting next to her. "And why are we on this huge cruise ship? This must cost a _ton_!" I cry. Julia nods, for once _silently _agreeing. I guess she's in shock from the whole incident.

"Yup," Madison pops the "p" while smiling mischievously.

"Maddie!" I whine. "You've changed! You used to care so much about saving your money! What happened?"

Madison giggled. "I know. But this isn't _my _money."

"What?" I exclaim.

"I said this isn't _my _money." Madison holds up a very familiar, shiny, black, bulging wallet. "Grand escape from Chelsea's _evil _father complete with luxurious boat and awesome landing spot, anyone? Or maybe you prefer to call it vacation?"

I start to uncontrollably laugh, and finally spit out, "B-But that's so wrong, Maddie!"

Madison smiles. "Yeah, I know! But you _know _I'm awesome."

"What? What am I missing?" Julia asks, a confused look on her face.

"This wallet isn't mine," Madison giggles.

"It's Brian's!" I finish.

**YAY! LOL! :) If anyone can guess where they're going, I'll give you a cupcake with rainbow sprinkles. If you didn't notice, it says, "Madison picks something up." That was Brian's wallet, ya know? Just in case you missed that, I though I would explain. ;)**

**Review! The sooner you do, the sooner I update! Sorry this chapter was relatively short. Oh yeah, and make sure you're paying attention to little details in these next few chapters, because that will make the finale chapter even better for you. :)**


	15. Chapter 14: Small world?

**Gosh, how long has it been since I updated? A month? Sorry…I'm pathetic. ;)**

**But the problem was I had writer's block and was working a lot on my other story, ****The Forgotten Child,**** and then I HATED this chapter and decided to totally re-write it, and then SCHOOL started…so anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 14: Small World?**

**Chelsea's POV-**

Julia started to laugh along with Madison and I. Finally, Madison said, "Come on, Chelsea! It's the perfect revenge! We make a grand escape from your 'dad,' steal his wallet, use all the money we want, and the send it back when we're done. Simple!"

I try to scowl at Madison, but a smile replaces the expression. "Okay, fine," I cave in. "But where are we going?"

"Waffle Island! It used to be this awesome vacation spot, and then all these things started to go wrong. But now that there's this new girl rancher there, things have been getting better. So I decided we'd hop in to visit for a few days, then you guys can go back home, and I can head to the city," Madison explains.

She's smiling on the outside, but I can see a mischievous little glint in her eye. "Maddie, I know that look," I growl. "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Maddie laughs. "No catch…nothing at all." But I know she's lying. And from the look on Julia's face, she can tell Maddie's lying, too. But for now, I decide to leave it be.

I take in my surroundings while Julia and Madison talk. This is one of those big, _huge _cruise ships, and we're sitting in the lobby on a leather couch. There's a glass coffee table in front of us, and several other people are sitting in leather couches randomly placed. To one side of the lobby is a man behind a large, polished, wood desk, and he's wearing a sailor's uniform, only more flashy.

Above us is a beautiful chandelier, and to my right there are several doors that I'm sure lead to hallways, which probably lead to rooms. The lobby is very big and open, and there's even a bar at the front.

"Hey, Maddie," I begin. "How much money is in that wallet?"

"A _ton. _Like, twenty-thousand dollars. All of it is seriously in fifty or one-hundred dollar bills. And there's also like, four billion credit cards!"

I nod. "Typical Brian. So, how long _is _this boat ride?"

"Oh, we'll be there by around eight tomorrow morning," Maddie replied.

"So it's overnight?" Julia cried.

"Yeah, something wrong?" Maddie frowns, a concerned look on her face.

"Chels and I told my mom we'd be back by tomorrow!" Julia exclaimed.

I do a face palm. "Ugh, I forgot! Maddie, what do we do?"

"No problem," Maddie giggles. She pulls something out from her pocket, and tosses it to me. Quickly, I catch it. "Here, use my cell."

I laugh. "Man, it feels like I haven't seen one of these in _ages!_" Quickly, I flip open the phone, and start to dial the Animal Shop's number. The first time I try it, I get a busy signal. Closing the phone, I murmur, "Hm, that's weird."

"What?" Julia asks, a worried expression on her face.

"It was busy," I explain. "No one really uses phones on the islands."

"Oh," Julia replies.

I decide to try the phone again, and this time, after a few rings, I hear Mirabelle's voice say, "Hello?"

"Hey, Mirabelle, it's Chelsea!" I exclaim.

"And Julia!" Julia sings into the phone.

"Oh, hello, girls! How's it going?" Mirabelle laughs gently.

I give Julia a glance, telling her to stay quiet, and explain to Mirabelle, "Uh, see, there's been a change of plans…I ran into one of my friends in the city, and she offered to take us on a vacation. I got to see my brother and everything, and it turns out he's doing _great _now, but I was wondering, could you take care of my ranch for about two more days?" It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the truth, either. But what am I supposed to say? 'Hey Mirabelle, we ran into my abusive father in the city, my friend stole his wallet, and now we're on vacation?' No way José…

"Of course, Chelsea! Could I ask where you're going?" Mirabelle asked.

"Uh, Waffle Island," I reply.

"Oh, well isn't that wonderful! Vaughn just called me saying he was going there for his work this week! Maybe you'll get to see him!" Mirabelle laughed.

My throat tightens, my stomach drops, and my feet get numb again. _Vaughn? __**Vaughn **_was coming to Waffle Island? _Vaughn _is on _this _boat?

"Uh, y-yeah, maybe," I reply. "Well, hey, I have to go, okay? Bye!"

"Bye, Chelsea!" Mirabelle exclaims, and then I close the phone.

And suddenly, it all makes sense: The person in the "animal" room with me…was that Vaughn? And did he let Sandy out, too, to help Madison, Julia, and I escape? Wait a second…to even _know _about the animal room, Vaughn would have to know Madison. So does that mean…?

Madison was giggling uncontrollably. "_That's _the catch then, Maddie?" I growled. She must've seen the expression on my face when Mirabelle told me Vaughn was here, too.

"You _totally _fell for it, too!" Madison giggled.

"I didn't have much of a choice!" I exclaimed, shrugging. "I was kind of running for my life, if you didn't notice."

"Well, whatever," Maddie laughed. "Are you really _that _mad? You _know _you love me!" She beamed, and I have to admit, I'm _so _happy that I get to see Vaughn. If I was on the island, he would've been at Waffle Island…so I guess this _is _good, right?

But, just for fun, I decided to scare Madison a bit. "Maddie, I'm going to give you ten seconds to _run,_" I growled. Madison _did _look a little bit scared, and she hesitantly got up from her chair. When she saw I was serious, she squealed and ran around the lobby.

"What? What's wrong, Chels?" Julia asked.

"Someone's trying to play matchmaker," I explained, smiling. Julia grinned back, even though I don't think she completely got it yet.

I started to chase Madison around the lobby, yet she was always a foot ahead of me. Eventually, we were face to face, the front desk separating us. The employee in the sailor suit was giving us both funny looks.

"I was only having a little bit of fun!" Madison whined.

"So, do you know Vaughn?" I changed the topic.

"Yeah, I've known him ever since I started working at the hospital. And now I'm working at his company, too," Madison explained.

For a moment, I considered maybe _Maddie _liked him. "Do you?" I gasped.

"What?" Madison breathlessly asked.

"Like him?" I giggled.

"No. But you do."

And with that, I started to chase her again, and finally caught her.

I started hugging her to death, and probably broke every bone in her upper body. "Oh, gosh, Chels," Madison laughed. "I thought you were gonna kill me!"

"No!" I giggled. "I'm thanking you," I whispered the last part. "For everything. Including saving me."

"No…problem," Madison gasped. "Now…can you…let go? Can't…breathe!" I let go.

"Ha, oh yeah. Sorry!"

Madison and I laughed together, and then Julia came over. "Now that that's over with," Julia giggled. "What _exactly _is going on?"

"See, well…" Madison started to explain, but then she looked over my shoulder, and giggled, "_That's _going on."

Julia and I turned around, and there he was at the bar: Vaughn.

Julia's eyes went wide, and so did mine, but for different reasons. His hat was _gone. _Well, not gone, it was actually on the chair next to him, but it wasn't on his head.

Julia and I turned back around, and Madison began to explain about how she was now going to work as a traveling vet, and she and Vaughn had met when she started working at the hospital.

"Small world, huh?" She finished. Julia and I nodded, smiling.

"Well, anyway," I giggled. "He looks pretty happy right now and I'm pretty sure we shouldn't ruin it by surprising him by our presence…so let's go check out the room!"

"Okay!" Julia and Madison exclaimed at the same time, and all three of us started toward the front desk.

**Vaughn's POV- **

Some of the annoying girl squealing noises over there are starting to sound really familiar, but I ignore them.

Instead, I focus on the little glass of wine in front of me that surprisingly, I don't really want to drink. Because, even more surprisingly, I'm already…happy. And I don't want, or need, any alcohol to ruin that.

I keep thinking about yesterday. I could've _sworn _I saw Chelsea and Julia in the hospital, but it couldn't have been, could it? Why would they be there?

But anyway, there was this guy, and he was trying to get to Madison and these two other girls that _looked _like Chelsea and Julia, and they looked like they needed help. So I let out the healthiest dog, Sandy, and she went to bite him. Thankfully, the man left once the girls were gone, probably to follow them, but I honestly didn't know what else I could do, plus, I had to get on this boat.

So I quickly got Sandy back into her crate, gave her a treat, and left.

Here I am now, but for some reason, I can't stop _thinking _about the whole incident. I mean, what would a grown man want with two girls and Madison?

Earlier, I called Mirabelle and told her I wouldn't be on the islands on Monday and Tuesday. Even though I'm disappointed I won't be able to go there, I'm kind of _excited _to go see Lucas while he's on vacation. Hopefully I'll be able to find him…

Eventually, I pay the bartender, even though I didn't drink any wine, and leave to go to my room. Adjusting my hat a little, I take the first door on the left by the front desk. That's the hallway that leads to my room.

I glance at the clock in the hallway: four-thirty. I must have spent a lot of time at the bar, I suppose. Surprisingly, I'm not hungry yet, even though this is around the time I eat dinner.

Finally, I reach my room. Sliding the room key in, the door unlocks, and I enter.

The room has green walls, a green queen-sized bed, and a black carpet. "Whoo hoo," I mutter sarcastically. "Green."

I hate the color green. That was Lucy's favorite color when she was…here.

I was already here earlier, so my suitcase is on the floor. Bending down to look in it, I take out a twenty-dollar bill. That will be for dinner later.

• • •

About an hour later, I decide to go to dinner. Putting my hat back on my head, I adjust it, and then slip out the door.

Heading down the hall to one of the hundreds of restaurants on this ship, I open the door and walk inside.

A peppy hostess that reminds me of Madison greets me there. "Hi, my name is Melissa, how many will there be tonight?" She flashes me a big smile. I hold up one finger.

"Great! Right this way, please!" She leads me past a family of four who are eating, and I can't help but envy one of the little boys sitting there. He's so lucky to have a family of his own.

Eventually, the hostess puts me down at a little table in the corner, which is fine with me. "Here you go," She says, handing me a menu. "Jill will be your server tonight, I'm sure she'll be right with you!"

Melissa leaves, and I take a look at the menu, and decide to get lasagna, only because they don't have porridge here. I mean, it _is _an Italian restaurant.

I glance around the restaurant, when a little piece of red catches my eye. And there she is: Chelsea.

She's still wearing her regular clothes, only with sunglasses and a hat on this time. The hat is red, and the sunglasses are black. I can't believe I still recognize her without her bandana.

But that's not all that surprises me about seeing Chelsea. The weirdest part is her expression: She looks…depressed.

Some force inside of me pulls me over to her table, and I take a seat across from her. She doesn't notice.

"Chelsea?" I murmur, and her head snaps up.

"Vaughn," She replies. "Hi."

"You don't seem very surprised," I scoffed.

"That's because I'm not," Chelsea snorted. "You know Madison?"

My eyes widened, but I nodded.

"Well, she's my best friend. And…she kind of set this up last minute."

That's when it all clicked: The two girls in the hospital _were _Julia and Chelsea.

"That was _you _in the hospital? With Madison?" I murmured.

"Yup," Chelsea popped the "p."

I don't say anything else for a while, I just look her over. Something's _really _wrong. I can tell.

"What were you doing there?" I finally ask.

"Visiting my brother, Ash," She replies. "He was sick."

"Was?" I raise my eyebrows.

Chelsea gives me a long look through her sunglasses, and nods. "If I told you something, something _really _weird, would you believe me?"

"Depends," I shrug.

"Do you believe in the Harvest Goddess?" Chelsea blurts out.

I nod. The Harvest Goddess was all I had when everyone else around me was dying, but I wasn't about to tell Chelsea that.

"Well…Ash technically died," Chelsea explained. My eyes widened slightly, and I saw a tear slip out from under her sunglasses. "B-But, I saved him," Chelsea continued. "The Harvest Goddess told me to cry. S-So, I did, and one of my tears fell onto Ash, and all of the sudden this golden dust was surrounding him, and he was alive. It was…weird. But I'm so grateful."

I nodded, and surprisingly, realized I believed her. "Sometimes," I murmur. "Miracles happen in our world. And sometimes, we get to witness them."

Chelsea nodded, and I changed the subject. "But that's not why you're so depressed, is it? And that's _definitely _not why you're here, right?" Chelsea nodded again, and sniffed. Something clicked inside of my brain, so I said, "You said earlier that Madison made last minute plans. What made them so last minute?"

Chelsea looked up at me again, and then leaned her head on her hand. "You saw Julia, Maddie, and I at the hospital, right?"

I nodded.

"So you saw the man, too, then?"

Once again, I nodded.

"_That _was Brian."

It all fit together, and I understood immediately. "He found you," I whispered. Chelsea nodded. "So you got on the boat that was leaving soonest, and he couldn't follow."

"Yup," Chelsea whispered. "Vaughn, I'm so scared! What if he finds me again? What if it's on the _islands _this time?"

Chelsea starts to fully cry, but the tears are silent. I scoot my chair closer to her, awkwardly lean in, and put my arms around her.

Chelsea lets one sob escape, and then she hugs me back.

"You want to know some reasons why he won't find you?" I whispered as she cried. Chelsea nodded into my shirt. "Well, for one thing," I start. "This boat is going to twenty different places. How will Brian narrow down where you're going now? Secondly, you have a whole, big family of people back on the island willing to protect you with everything they've got."

"Including me," I added at the end, even though it was almost inaudible to my own ears.

Chelsea finally broke away, and nodded. "Okay," She whispered.

Eventually, the waitress came by and gave us some waters. When she asked if we were on the same bill now, Chelsea immediately answered, "Yes." Even though I shot her a glare.

Chelsea ordered spaghetti, and I got lasagna. The waitress left, and Chelsea murmured, "Don't worry about it. I'll cover the bill. Get all you want, cause the money isn't mine, it's Brian's." She gave a weak smile at the end, and I nodded. "Okay."

We sat there in silence. But it wasn't awkward. It was…comfortable. Which is weird, but true.

Jill eventually came by with our meals and drinks, and I ate slowly. Chelsea merely played with her food, so I murmured, "Come on, Chelsea. You have to eat something."

"Okay," She sighed, and stuffed some spaghetti into her mouth. "Happy?" Chelsea asked when she was done swallowing.

I nodded, and Chelsea asked, "So what are you doing on Waffle Island, exactly?"

"You eat, I'll talk," I replied.

She started to eat, so I explained to her about my work for a little while. It's the most I've talked in a long time. Chelsea's spirits started to rise as I talked more and more, describing all of the places I had been to.

"You sound like Madison," She giggled eventually. "She's always talking about Paris, Africa, Australia…wherever she's been lately."

I nod, and we continue to pointlessly talk for a while.

Strangest of all…I feel like I'm enjoying myself.

**Gosh, sorry, that's a crappy ending. :D I just wanted to get a chapter to ya. Who has a prediction of what will happen at Waffle Island? Come on, guess! Review! Please! Sorry! Again! :)**


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